The Harvested
by DaemonS1gn
Summary: In the midst of the Clone Wars, a sinister operation occurs in the shadows. Clones are vanishing, but no one knows where to. A mysterious distress signal from an unknown planet may hold the answers to this movement. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka are dispatched to the location where they discover an unsettling nightmare. (Takes the place of The Citadel arc in season 3)
1. Prologue

_Unknown Region of the Galaxy_

_2300 hours_

Every damned corridor looked the same. Paneled sheets of durasteel lined the walls in a cold metallic mockery. The sirens had gone off a long time ago; precisely the moment the prisoner had rid himself of the dark cell. It was a long whining, eerie and relentless sound. The attempts to seal him up in the detainment hall had been successful. However, they never ever thought to look in the air ducts until later. And that was precisely where the prisoner had gone.

CT-9942 crawled through the air ducts out of the detainment sector. It was his only hope of merely escaping the lower levels. Fortunately for him, his captors had not removed his body glove or his armor. They had left it on him since it did not hinder any of their 'experiments'. He was glad he still had his armor. It offered small means of protection. Without it, he felt naked and vulnerable. The clone gave a small shudder and stopped moving as a figure passed below. His breath halted and he crouched into a small unmoving form in the duct. It was one of the doctors that was walking below. He knew the doctors were not ones for fighting, but yet he held his position. He had worked far too hard to get to this point. He refused to allow it to go to waste by attacking the doctor, who would merely press a button on his wrist, and he would be swarmed. The doctor was dressed in a dirty beige apron. On all of their heads, they wore a plain tan helmet that allowed no one to look in. The fact that their faces could never be seen was the most unnerving piece. And they almost never removed their surgical gloves.

CT-9942 realized he was trembling slightly as he regained his senses. Slowly, the doctor below moved off into another section of the wing. The clone sighed softly in relief and rose back on all fours to continue crawling.

The air ducts were quiet and cold. It indicated one positive thing for his situation. It meant they didn't know he was up there. If they did, he surmised heads would be poking in and out of the grates looking for him; or they'd heat it up to the point where he would be forced to jump out and reveal himself; or even worse…they'd close the vents and gas the ducts, rendering him unconscious.

Eventually, CT-9942 was led to a dead end in the duct. _Haar'chak. _He swore in Mando'a. A grate lay beneath his body. The clone leaned forward to peer down into it. It led into a storage unit. He spied many materials necessary for sanitation. _It'll have to do. _He thought as he quietly began to pry off the covering. It was removed soundlessly much to his relief.

Slipping his legs down into the hole, he dropped down with a muted thud. The door was to his left. The clone rose up and slowly clicked the pad next to the door. It opened with a small whoosh sound. _Still no droids…or doctors. _Yes. Droids. He knew there were droids here. Many times he saw different droids patrolling the area around the prison.

The dark corridors around him were quiet and empty. _I just need to find a transmitter of some sort. I'll send a distress signal to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. They're bound to get that! _

CT-9942 crept down the hall. There were several doors on either side. At this point, he had no idea what awaited him. The clone took a hard breath and poked at one of the keypads beside a door. The door obeyed and swished open with the same whooshing sound. Behind door number one was…a small room with a huge wall of innumerable colored cords and dials. _No…definitely not. _The clone thought, and moved on. He made his way to the next door on the other side.

The clone paused and listened. Still, no sound reached him. Just then a shiver ran down his spine. The sirens had turned off. He didn't notice it before; or perhaps he had just gotten far enough away. Ignoring it for now, he pressed the second keypad. Behind this door were many glass cabinets, all of them containing drugs or needles of the sort. Moving immediately to the third door, CT-9942 nearly shrieked in fright when he heard shouts and a horrid snapping sound from the down the corridor. A light from far away turned on. Then all the lights in the corridor turned on as the angry voices grew closer. The clone stabbed the keypad and looked in, now desperate to find what he needed most. In the third room however, was only another drug storage. _Damn, damn, damn! _He panicked. Rushing to the fourth, the pounded the pad as heavy footsteps drew close. In the fourth room was a single metal table in the center with a long counter and overhead light. A surgery room. Dashing to the next, his head whipped about, terrified for the moment he would see the droids, or doctors…or a director come careening around the corner. The fifth door opened and revealed to him…_Finally! A transmitter! _

He flew into the room, closed the door behind him and began to power up the large holo transmission table. _Work! Work! Please! _From this room, he heard something with claws bounding down the hall. The table powered up lazily, as if completely ignorant of his situation. CT-9942 began rapidly pressing buttons, trying to send out a distress signal to the Jedi Temple's coordinates. He felt his legs shaking in fear of being caught. If he was, this would be the third time. After the third time, it was game over. CT-9942 bit down on his tongue as his finger jabbed the send button just as the pad for the door was pressed. The door slid right open, revealing the escaped clone. The clone screamed as a giant four-legged beast with sabers for teeth pounced him. The hound knocked him onto the ground and savagely began to tear at his throat, easily shredding it with a shower of blood. The screams died abruptly as the beast tore the prisoner apart, scattering a left arm to the side. Even so, the clone got his wish. He escaped this living Hell. And the other, the Jedi would soon know of this sadistic operation.


	2. Ryloth's Struggle

_Ryloth_

_One Week Prior to the Distress Signal_

_1100 hours_

The rocky canyons of Ryloth's deserts echoed with blaster fire, crashing machines, and the occasional cannon. The perpetual sun on this side of the planet was scorching this day. Thirty hours ago it was a pleasant warmth, but now the occupants of this skirmish, save the droids, sweated in their battle armor doubled by the strenuous sprints to each stop.

By the troopers' side were the Jedi, as well as a Twi'lek resistance that had tried numerous times to push the droids and Wat Tambor off their planet. Despite their numerous attempts, they did little damage to the outskirts of the droid base and had lost a few resistors in the onslaught. They requested Republic assistance which was immediately granted much to their relief. Wat Tambor had barricaded himself well into an elaborate canyon to lessen their chances of success. He was safe here, or so he believed, until the Jedi arrived.

Anakin Skywalker nimbly leapt from rock to rock along the side of the canyon and jumped onto the top of an OG-9 Spider droid. Swishing his lightsaber about, he severed the giant metallic legs until one remained before soaring back through the air to a safe position as he watched the giant metal sphere topple down to the desert ground with a resounding crash. He smirked to himself as his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, touched down beside him, only one of her lightsabers out at the moment.

"That's one way to take care of a spider droid." He said to her. She smiled broadly then pointed to the farther route of the canyon.

"Master Kenobi and Commander Cody have three AT-TEs approaching from the south to take down the wall." She shouted over the whoosh of a Republic gunship overhead.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to bring down the front wall." He shouted back as a second gunship sailed overhead. Ahsoka nodded then leapt back down into the crossfire, flipping acrobatically as she did through the air. With both her lightsabers drawn, she covered a small squad of troops, allowing them to proceed to the next available barrier. Anakin soon joined her, deflecting the droid's crimson blaster fire.

"This looks like the last battalion for now! We should press forward!" He shouted to her again.

"Let's do it!" Ahsoka shouted back, fiercely deflecting a shot that came dangerously close to her head. The two Jedi simultaneously charged forward and sailed into the air, coming down to each slash a super battle droid, probably the most obnoxious of standard infantry. Their armor was tougher and their firepower was more destructive. Ahsoka felt the force surge through her for a moment as she took out the surrounding battle droids with a repulse, sending the clankers broken to the ground. Anakin saw the move as he finished slashing a super battle droid in half.

"Nice one Snips!" He complimented. She heard, but focused on the battle for now. They had pressed through two outer barriers already, and the Jedi could not afford to lose out now. The clones opened fire on droids that were closing in on the Jedi generals. In that company, was Captain Rex, who was keeping a close eye to the front as well as the back. Luckily he was, for he soon caught sight of a battle droid, then two, then six, then a battalion approaching them from the rear.

"We got clankers from the rear!" He shouted to his troops. They instantly whipped around and began to fire on them as they moved behind the rocks for better cover. Five droids went down in a second just as one of their own was fatally shot in the chest. Rex never failed to have that feeling of anger as one of his brothers was killed by the droids. He was just a rookie too. Rex whipped his head back to the Jedi, who were still plenty busy with the tinnies at the front. He lifted his comlink up to his helmet to contact Ahsoka, seeing as she was less busy than Anakin.

"Ahsoka! We have clankers approaching from the rear. We could really use a hand back here." He informed. Almost instantly she responded,

"I'm on my way!"

Anakin nodded as she took off to help Rex and the others. They had pressed on a little further than intended and had lost visual on their troops. A sloppy and rather dangerous mistake. But he knew Ahsoka could rush back and handle it. Skywalker dodged a laser fire as it seared by his shoulder. Anger pinched him, and he threw his arms out with an immense force push that sent all droids in his path flying. The thin B1 droids were slammed against the sides of the canyon, snapping apart instantly whereas the heavier battle droids crunched against the ground and their power fizzled out. It was quiet around him, save the low hum of his lightsaber.

"Blasted seppies." He growled, turning off his saber. They had breached the last wall on this side. All that was left was for General Kenobi to take down the main wall and infiltrate the base. They were still expecting Master Windu to arrive with extra forces to help speed along the take down of the Separatist base. Anakin suddenly remembered his padawan. He turned back and rushed off to find Ahsoka and his troops. As he ran, his comlink went off. His heart leapt as his first thought went to Ahsoka and the possibility of something gone awry. He was wrong, fortunately, as Obi-Wan's voice rang out.

"Anakin, Master Windu has brought reinforcements to push through the base. Rendezvous back at the drop off and we'll launch one last attack."

"Yes master, I'm headed there now." Of course, that was not entirely true. He was headed back to Ahsoka, then he would heed his master's order.

Anakin finally rounded the last corner of the canyon before he spied his troops and Ahsoka. Like he predicted, she had devastated the clankers. She was walking back to the troops. One of them was on the ground, but still moving. He saw that three had died. Their bodies were in a small trail from where they had to back away from. He ran faster until he reached the small group. A rookie, Chett, had a blaster wound through his calf. Rex and another clone were bent down beside him as the rest stood.

"We'll get you back to the base and our medic Kix will fix you up right." He reassured. Chett nodded as Rex and that clone hoisted him off the ground and supported him.

"How do you feel?" Another clone asked.

"It hurts, but I don't think it went all the way through." Chett answered in a strained voice. Evidently it still hurt a great deal, for the clone's body was tense and his fingers were curled in pain. Anakin looked to Ahsoka, but spoke to the rest of the troops too.

"Obi-Wan wants us to rendezvous back to the drop off. Master Windu is sending reinforcements to push through that blockade so we can capture Wat Tambor."

"What if Tambor escapes before that?" She inquired.

"We may need a diversion at the main wall, and someone else to sneak in through the rear and cut the droid's power. It'd make it easier to defeat them and possibly capture him."

"Are you suggesting yourself?" Ahsoka smiled. Anakin smiled too.

"Yep. And you're coming with me."

"We'll catch him master." She said confidently as they began to return to the drop off.

"Do you think Master Kenobi will approve your plan?" She asked him as they walked in front.

"Who says I need his approval?" He chuckled. Ahsoka smiled, but gave him a stern look. "What's that for?"

"Nothing. I just hope Tambor doesn't pull a cowardly move and abandon his base. It makes it more difficult when they just up and run before the battle's over." She said, the smile now gone. It took away Anakin's as well.

"The seppies are known for cowardice. That's why they send mindless droids to do their bidding." A clone rookie said from behind.

"I've never seen a Separatist leader out there in the fight. They're always on the sidelines." Anakin agreed. He wished this time it wasn't true. Capturing Wat Tambor would put a damper on the droid production of the Separatists, and they'd be one step closer to winning this seemingly eternal war.


	3. Clone and Jedi

Commander Cody stood at the ridge of the next canyon to the left, many miles from the droid base. He scanned the wide horizon for any ship activity with his range finder. Everything there seemed quiet, but he was mostly keeping an eye to sky.

"Commander Cody, make sure no ships leave that base. If one does, I can guarantee its Wat Tambor fleeing the planet." Obi-Wan said, glancing back to his clone commander.

"Yes, sir!" Cody complied with the order obediently, as all clones did. Obi-Wan was studying a holo map with a three dimensional perspective of the canyons they were currently located in. Several walls around the base had been taken out, and countless battle droids had been destroyed. All that was left was to break down the main wall and destroy what was left of the Separatists. There was an opening to the rear of the base, but fitting a mass army back there would prove difficult and irrational. Obi-Wan lifted his comlink to his mouth to contact Skywalker.

"Anakin, the drop ship is nearly here. Where are you?" He asked. The line was filled with static for a moment. For split second, Obi-Wan worried that the Separatists had jammed their signals.

"Well I can see you from here if that gives you a clue." Anakin's voice responded. Master Kenobi looked around him. Instantly, he spotted the small group making their way toward him. Ahsoka way in front, and a trooper being held up by two others. When they got close enough, General Kenobi whispered,

"What happened to your squad?"

"We had a bit of an ambush." He said. "Droids came from behind when the clones were still too vulnerable. I think we would've lost more if Ahsoka didn't make it back there in time." He watched his Padawan go with the injured trooper as Kix appeared to care for the leg wound.

"Do you think Wat Tambor is still there?" Anakin asked, his eyes watching the base from afar. Cody was still eyeing it through the high powered range finder.

"No ships have left the area. But now I fear he may have used a ground transport to escape to a different location." The two Jedi turned as Chett seethed in pain as Kix rubbed a disinfectant in the wound. The pieces of armor belonging to his leg had been removed and the body glove rolled up. The Jedi turned back to one another.

"I guess we'll have to see when we get there." Anakin muttered. The sweltering sun had put many troopers down for a while. They sat in the shade with one another, tanking down as much water as they needed. Sweat was anywhere from dampening the clones' hair to soaking it. Favorably, the casualties had been light for the first few assaults.

Just then, Anakin decided to bring up his idea from earlier, of him and Ahsoka infiltrating from the back and creating chaos as most of the fight was drawn forward.

"Master Kenobi, I have an idea." He began.

"Oh, great. Let's hear it. Unless it involves more reckless explosions." He joked lightly. Anakin frowned and took him back to the holomap.

"If we have a big enough diversion at the main wall, and all of the Separatist forces are drawn there, Ahsoka and I can sneak in from the back, destroy the base from the inside and capture Tambor before he escapes." Anakin finished and looked to his master. Obi-Wan seemed to be considering this for a moment. His fingers stroked his beard in the habitual manner.

"They might expect it. I can only assume you'll run into traps that will compromise your position." He suggested, almost trying to dissuade Anakin from this.

"Ahsoka and I can handle it. Any traps they have we can overcome." Anakin retaliated, but kept his tone soft. If his tone grew harsh, Kenobi would definitely refuse. Obi-Wan gave a heavy sigh.

"Anakin-" He was cut short when a rumble from the skies distracted them. Gliding down through the cloudless sky were numerous gunships that had come from a Republic star destroyer; the _Resolute. _ The reinforcements had arrived.

"We'll see what Master Windu has to say about the situation." Kenobi said as he walked away. Anakin sighed this time and gritted his teeth. He didn't want to give Wat Tambor the window of escape. He knew the moment he could, the slimy Separatist would flee the planet.

The gunships touched down briefly enough for all the clones to evacuate it before it took off again. After the twentieth gunship or so, they saw Windu himself jump onto the rocky ground of Ryloth and approach them. Next to him, was a clone commander painted in dark greens along his legs, arms, chest and helmet. He wore the traditional kama and had a visor similar to Cody's.

"I see he finally got himself a new clone commander." Anakin whispered to Kenobi. He heard, but ignored his friend for now. Windu and the clone advanced toward them as the rest began to form ranks. Rex and Kix helped the injured Chett up as they tested how well he could walk before sending him to either the ranks, or back onto the _Resolute_. Ahsoka stayed close to encourage him.

"Masters Kenobi and Skywalker, what barriers have you broken?" Windu immediately inquired once he was in speaking range, rather eager to rid the poor planet and its people of the Separatist presence.

"All walls are broken, but the main wall is the most guarded. We haven't proceeded that far yet." Obi-Wan answered.

"Good, we can push right through them and eliminate their base." Windu responded. Anakin bit the side of his cheek and pondered asking Windu about him and Ahsoka going behind enemy lines.

"And capture Wat Tambor before he escapes." Obi-Wan added. Windu's eyebrows scrunched up.

"Actually I've dealt with Tambor in the past. He isn't like General Grievous. He'll stick around the battlefield a little longer if he needs to. I just hope it makes it easier to capture him."

"Oh, then that simplifies it." Obi-Wan said, sounding a little more enlightened to the situation.

"And by the way," Windu continued, "this is-"

"I am CC-3302 at your service commanders." The clone painted in green spoke up in a rather lively tone. Anakin bit down a smile and Kenobi looked a little taken aback by the clone's audacity.

"CC-3302 has been dispatched to Padawan Ahsoka Tano for the mean time to see if she's ready." Windu said once it was safe to speak again. Anakin's smile vanished.

"Wait, how come Ahsoka's getting a clone commander?" He couldn't help but ask.

"The Jedi council would like to see how well she can operate with her own. CC-3302 was available and their personalities have many common traits. His squad will remain on Kamino until she's ready to take command of them." Windu explained. The clone was statue still beside the Jedi as he waited for a command. Anakin went quiet. Obi-Wan spoke up to break the tension.

"I think it's a good experiment for her. But now I think we should refocus on the battle at hand." His tone held the slightest tinge of impatience. He was also very eager to get off the stifling hot planet, or perhaps it was just this day that was hot.

"Erm, which one is Commander Tano?" CC-3302 spoke again. Windu subtly gestured to the only female on the battlefield.

"Commander Tano is the female Togruta you see there. Why don't you go introduce yourself?"

"Yes sir!" He obliged and went over to her. Behind his hand, Windu whispered,

"The rest of us call him Commander Motormouth. You'll find out soon enough why." Anakin smiled at his. Perhaps giving Ahsoka more responsibility would prove beneficial. Maybe having the clone commander to manage would keep her a little more grounded.

"Master Windu, I had a suggestion for infiltrating the base." He suddenly blurted as Windu was turning around with Obi-Wan. Anakin figured it couldn't hurt him merely putting his idea out in the open.

"Let's hear it." He said, stopping in mid-turn.

"There's a narrow canyon south of the Separatists base," he directed him to the holo map which was still active and ready to be viewed, "if Ahsoka and I could sneak back there we can gain access to the base and destroy from inside and cut off the power to the droids, then we can increase our chances of capturing Tambor." He announced. Windu contemplated this for a moment. Obi-Wan glanced to Anakin as they shared a look.

"I need all three of us at the front lines, Anakin, pushing into the base will require this army to be at full strength. Commander Tano may accept this mission, but she'll need to find another partner to accompany her." Windu said in a crisp tone. Before Anakin had a chance to voice his opinion, Windu went on.

"She could enlist the help of her new clone commander. Consider it a test mission for both of them." Obi-Wan nervously glanced at Anakin. This time, before Skywalker could speak, blasts echoed from a distance. It didn't sound like what they had been previously hearing though. This sounded different.

"Commander Cody, what is it!" Obi-Wan shouted. Cody still had the range finder to his helmet.

"Vultures incoming!" He shouted.

"We need to press this attack! Shoot them down!" Windu suddenly turned away from them and began to bark orders to the clones. Anakin gave an angry sigh. He didn't trust Motormouth yet. What if something went wrong? What if one or both didn't come back? What if they blew up the base with them in it? He couldn't stop the flow of negative thoughts as they poured into his mind. Even so, he went to break the news to Ahsoka as cannon fire took aim to the vulture droids. Despite the tense situation, Anakin walked as if there was nothing afoul, silently gritting his teeth in irritation. _It'd be safer and better if she were with me! _He told himself. Above, a vulture droid's left side was obliterated by Republic AV-7's and it began to spiral out of control toward the ground. As it met the hard rocky ground, the fire and gas ignited a tremendous explosion of fire and metal behind Anakin, but he didn't turn to look or act as if he'd even noticed.

Some distracted shinies watched him as he approached. The Jedi was seemingly oblivious to the explosion behind him as he didn't even turn to look.

"Wow…" one murmured in admiration.

"Keep firing rookie!" a sergeant reprimanded. There were six vultures in total. Two worked in a nose dive fashion as their lasers targeted wherever the largest groups of clones were. Screams and plastic shattering filled the air. An acrid stench of blood and burn began to emit where the vultures had fired. Cannons worked their best to take out the most destructive of them. Another looped back around and prepared to take out the closest cannon. Both fired at the same time. The shots sailed right by one another through the air and simultaneously destroyed their targets, the cannon and vulture droid both exploding.

There were three vulture droids left, all erratically flying to avoid being hit or end up like the others. One vulture droid suddenly pitched to the right, in route back to the Separatist base.

"Bring it down!" someone shouted over the chaos. The cannons were repositioned to fire at that one vulture droid. Just then, the other two spun around and began to follow the third back to the base.

Obi-Wan and Mace Windu had observed the attack from afar. The attack had ended as quickly as it had begun. The Jedi were in mid speech with Plo Koon and Yoda as it happened. Their transmission had ended along with the retreat of the vultures.

"I think those vulture droids were just sent here to spy on us." He said to Windu, who stood beside him.

"It seems like it. That's why we need to get this army going now!"

Anakin found Ahsoka when the chaos had lifted. She was standing with Rex and Cody at the med station. Chett was walking about with Kix evaluating his tended injury. The clone appeared to be moving around quite well. As Anakin approached, he was met with many pairs of eyes. Many of the clones had removed their helmets to allow the occasional breeze to dry the sweat from their faces. Ahsoka stepped forward to speak with him. There was a smudge of dirt across her left cheek.

"Master, are we going through with your plan?" She inquired, looking eager. Anakin's frown slowly melted the excited look on her face. "Let me guess, we have to stick to the front lines?"

"Sort of. Master Windu allowed _you _to execute my plan. But I have to stay with Obi-Wan and him to breach the main wall." He explained in little more than a mumble.

"It's all right. I can handle the mission myself." Ahsoka spoke confidently. Behind her, Rex, Jesse and Motormouth approached them.

"Actually, he suggested you take your new commander out for a spin." Anakin put in. Ahsoka gave an indifferent shrug and turned to Motormouth.

"How do you feel about a stealth mission?" She asked him.

"Ready if you are Commander Tano." He declared confidently. Ahsoka smiled and turned back to Anakin.

"I guess it's decided." She beamed. "When should we set out?" Instead of immediately responding, Skywalker led her to the holomap and pointed to the narrow canyon behind the base.

"You can enter from here. There is a wall, but it's not well guarded. I bet you could just leap over it and continue into the base from there. We'll be drawing most of their forces to the front so you shouldn't have to worry about running into too many droids." He explained to her, hoping to give the most information possible that he knew.

"Got it master. I'll try to alert you when were at the wall and when we're in the base." She said. Anakin nodded stiffly.

"Good luck then, and may the force be with you." He said. Ahsoka nodded as they turned away from one another. Rex and Jesse moved up to walk with Skywalker as he returned to Kenobi and Windu.

"Let's get a move on then." Ahsoka ordered to Motormouth. "That's canyon's a long and winding distance away."

"Yes sir!" Motormouth chimed. The two started for the easiest route to that canyon. As the two walked off, Rex glanced to Anakin and caught up in a few quick strides.

"Sir, I don't trust him yet with her." He confided. Skywalker gave him a look as they walked. Jesse piped up, suddenly appearing on his other side.

"Hardcase and I could've gone with her sir."

"It's too late now." Anakin said in an exasperated tone. "I can only hope everything goes off without a hitch." He whispered as the two walked side by side in the opposite direction of Ahsoka. High above, the sun burned hotter than ever as the horizon turned to a wavy mirage of colors. The spiraling tower of the Separatist base swayed in the distance, dancing in the heat of the planet.

…

Ahsoka effortlessly leapt from rock to rock, occasionally pausing to listen to everything around her; when Motormouth wasn't talking of course.

"I got the feeling General Skywalker doesn't like me too much. Or does he always look mad?" The clone didn't even give her long enough periods to answer before he started a new sentence. "You know I never met a mad Jedi before General Skywalker. But I guess some emotions just can't be suppressed. You know I prefer the heat over cold. At least heat makes you feel alive." It began to ride Ahsoka's nerves. At the same time, it mirrored her when she was younger, always asking questions and always that inquisitive nature. She couldn't hate that. Blasts echoed from a distance and drew her attention away from the clone's incessant talking. Ahsoka closed her eyes and listened. She could almost feel the vibrations of the AT-TEs as they stormed the main wall of the droid base.

"The battle has begun for them." She announced to her clone commander. "We need to hurry or else we'll fall behind!"

"Right behind you!" His legs carried him swiftly as he made his way around the winding valley path. Ahsoka kept above him, watching, listening, and waiting. From above, she guided him through the twisted narrow road. Luckily, there were no enemies abroad. If there were droids along this way, they were awfully quiet and didn't attack. The young Togruta did not sense anything evil here. Just then, her eyes caught sight of part of the rear wall. She was too high up to shout down to the clone without causing a ruckus. She lifted her comlink up and spoke into it.

"I can see the rear wall from my position. Judging from the distance we have two more turns before we're there." She informed. There was a brief moment of static on the channel.

"Copy that sir." His voice came back. In the distance, tanks and heavy fire echoed through the labyrinth of chasms. _I just hope we can shut down the droids and stop Tambor in time. _Ahsoka thought.

The pair stopped when they were nearly forty feet from the rear wall. The trip here was suspiciously uneventful. It was too quiet, especially for the Separatists. They were crouched behind a formation of boulders to carefully select their next course of action.

"What now Commander?" Motormouth looked to her, awaiting orders. He bore the same phase II armor the clones had upgraded to. His visor was painted green with small grey lines. Ahsoka thought the new helmets looked particularly intimidating opposed to the previous ones.

"Well, I doubt there's a back door. So we'll just have to leap right over the wall." She said, getting to her feet. The clone's eyes dropped to the raised plateau before them. The flat rocks on the mesa looked different from the others. The rocks they had just crossed were very textured and broken in some places. Motormouth looked closer at the flat rock. There was sand on top of it, but for some reason it didn't look…real.

"Commander Tano, wait!" He lurched to his feet and yanked her arm back before she stepped on it. Ahsoka was about to inquiry his actions when he bent down to pick up a rock and tossed it onto the flat rock. The weight on top of the rock caused it to sink into the ground. Suddenly, opening from a small hole in the canyon was a turret. The second they had both seen it, it fired directly onto the sunken plate. Ahsoka fell back into her crouching position. The turret lingered for a moment.

"Thank you, commander; I don't know why I didn't see that." Ahsoka admitted bashfully. Her montrals turned a slight shade of red in the white spaces from embarrassment. Luckily she bet he didn't even know what it meant. The turret retracted into its slot and disappeared with a distant click.

"Even a Jedi can miss things." He said, getting to his feet. The clone scanned the wall and with the aid of his helmet, calculated the height of the wall. Ahsoka took a few steps to her right to be more center with the barricade.

"That wall is precisely thirty-four point seven feet high." He informed. "Now I suggest we use cables to quickly-" Ahsoka suddenly caught sight of a spherical camera emerging from the opposite side of where the turret had come from. Fearing detection, she lunged at Motormouth, taking him down with her behind the rocks to avoid being sighted. If they were seen back here, the mission very well could be compromised.

"Commander Tano, what are you-"

"Shhh! Stay quiet!" She hissed at him, wondering if it was able to absorb audio as well as visual. Motormouth propped himself up with his elbows as Ahsoka was perched over him, her head rather close to his. He lay quietly, obeying her orders. Cautiously, Ahsoka peered between a crack in the boulders they were behind. The camera was still focused on the location where the turret had fired. Perhaps whoever controlled the camera was apparently interested to see what the trap had revealed. They'd be disappointed then…or suspicious.

"I guess you shouldn't've thrown that rock. There's a camera scrutinizing the area." Ahsoka explained.

"Sorry sir." The clone apologized.

"At least it's not a recon droid." Ahsoka smirked. Motormouth, despite his proclivity for talking, decided to stay quiet. The Togruta had her hand gently cupped over the hilt of her lightsaber, in case droids were sent out. She hoped there wouldn't be. After a few moments, the camera finally receded.

"Good, the camera's gone. Now what were you saying about cables?" She still kept her eyes toward the gulch and the barrier.

"I said, the wall is precisely thirty-four point seven feet high. I suggest we use cables to quickly ascend the barrier and from there we infiltrate the base." He repeated, but finished his sentence this time.

"I agree with you. Let's go."

"Let me up first sir."

"Sorry." She leapt to her feet and took hold of his hand to help him off the ground. The two began to make their way around the network of traps. Ahsoka hoped Anakin was getting somewhere with their frontal assault. The Separatists had been here far too long, and she was eager to see them lose their grip on Ryloth.

….

Anakin clenched his teeth and deflected several shots from the super battle droids. _Windu's plan is going to get us killed! _He angrily thought. _At least I sent Ahsoka to the rear of the base. Maybe then she can shut the power off to these blasted droids! _He charged forward on a destroyer droid as it came rolling down at him. Luckily his timing was impeccable, and he sliced the machine in half before it had the chance to unfold and activate its shield. He took several running steps back to Captain Rex to protect him. He was taking heavy fire from his position behind some large rocks. The four clones surrounding him had been shot all in under a minute. The entire squad they had brought with them had been slaughtered in under ten minutes. _Hurry up Ahsoka! _He gritted his teeth, growing nervous and angry. He moved closer to Rex and deflected any shot that ventured too close. He refused to lose his clone captain here and now, now or ever.

"Rex, throw a grenade at those droids!" He shouted over the war sounds. Anakin gestured to a clump of droids walking together. With them so close to one another it would be simple to take them all out with an explosion.

"Right!" Rex shouted back. He ducked down and searched the pack next to him. As soon as he had his hand around a grenade he leaned back up and threw it directly at the group. The grenade smacked one droid in the head and exploded instantly upon impact, dismembering every droid and killing all but one. The last droid fell to the ground, incapacitated without use of his arms, which had been blown off. Anakin didn't smile at it. He was far too distracted by the innumerable horde of battle droids coming their way. There seemed to be an endless sea of metal charging at them. Anakin fell back and ducked down behind the rocks with Rex.

"Rex, try to contact Ahsoka! I'll cover you as we move back with Obi-Wan's squad!" He ordered. Rex nodded and lifted his comlink the same time the two of them stood and began sprinting across the desert. Anakin clung to Rex like glue, viciously deflecting each and every laser bolt. With twenty super battle droids meters away, both of them were at risk of being hit.

"Ahsoka, this is Rex. Things are bad with us. What about your end?" Rex said quickly into his comlink. Ahsoka's voice responded almost immediately.

"Rex! That was close…" She went quiet. "We're beyond the rear wall and we've infiltrated the base. The only problem is finding the droid's power source." Anakin and Rex ducked down behind a huge discarded metal crate for temporary cover.

"Where are you?" Anakin shouted into Rex's comlink.

"We're in the base." Ahsoka repeated.

"We're trying to locate the droid's central power source and shut it down." Motormouth's voice came in clearly over the channel.

"We haven't been detected yet, and we don't want to be. So we'll have to cut you off all right master?" Ahsoka's voice returned. Anakin felt a sting through his chest. What if something happened and they couldn't contact one another. But it'd be worse if they were discovered through the comlink signal behind enemy lines.

"That's fine, just…complete your mission and we'll see you on the other side." He said to her.

"Yes master." Were her last words. Rex looked to Anakin.

"Think they'll shut down those droids in time sir?" The amount of droids sent to retaliate was staggering. If they didn't hurry, the Republic forces would be overwhelmed, and possibly defeated.

"They've made it that far; they can go all the way!" He said before jumping to his feet. "C'mon! We have to get back to Obi-Wan." Rex jumped to his feet and drew his pistols. As they ran across the desert again, Rex fired excellent shots into the weaker droids as Anakin protected them, occasionally sending out a destructive force push to any that were close enough.

Over the ridge, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu had a worse time defending themselves against the swelling masses of droids. Dwarf spider droids had been deployed to eliminate their heavier guns. Laser fire colored the surface of the planet in a blue and red sea. It was obvious that Tambor had expelled his remaining forces to eliminate the Jedi nuisance.

"Whose idea was this again?" Obi-Wan shouted to no one in particular. Windu defended himself with his saber and glanced to Obi-Wan. Quickly he sprinted back to the remaining cannons. The clones manning the cannons were focused on annihilating the larger pockets of droids. The AV-7's took out many of the surrounding droids in one well-placed shot. Windu leapt onto the small platform to give orders to the lead clone.

"Focus fire on the heavier droids, Master Kenobi and I will take care of the others." He ordered the clone sergeant sitting there.

"Right away sir!" He complied. "Cannons one through eight, focus fire on the destroyer droids and don't fire near the generals!" He was met with many 'yes sirs'. Swinging the large turret to the left, he pressed the launch button. The entire cannon backfired as it shot a blast right into a trio of rolling droidekas. Scraps of metal flew in every direction, hitting some of the battle droids around them.

Obi-Wan and Windu charged across the battlefield, redirecting many of the droids' fire to them. Obi-Wan swung his lightsaber expertly about, slashing many of the thinner droids in half. Windu used his saber for defense mostly, and with the force, he shoved away the enemy with brutal pushes. The droid parts broke apart with electrical snaps and bolts of quick sparks through the air. Windu leapt onto the top of a super battle droid and plunged his lightsaber straight down into its system. In a malfunctioning fit, the B2 series droid began to misfire unintentionally on its own troops. Obi-Wan continued to use spinning attacks to cut through the sea of metal. _Oh, Anakin wherever you are hurry up! _He thought with a small dash of worry. He kept himself calm, but this attack was beginning to concern him. Ahsoka had to make it in the base and shutdown the power to the droids, Anakin had to make it back and assist them, and they had to defend the front lines. Obi-Wan slid under a super droid and sprung up on the other side, stabbing through its mainframe.

The clones back over the ridge fired down with their DC blasters. They couldn't allow the droids to breach the front lines. If they did, the entire army would be broken up and most likely suffer defeat. Chett, the rookie clone injured earlier was already back on his feet. He crouched on the bank blasting whatever droid got too close. Commander Cody was a few clones down from him, shooting down every droid possible. Just then, emerging from the masses of metal, were commando droids. The elite droids were armed with the standard E-5's, shooting down clones much faster than the more common infantry.

"Blasted commandos…" Cody whispered. He looked to the troops around him. "Focus fire on those commandos!" At the sound of his urgent order, the clones began to redirect their fire to the charging elites. One went down, not easily, as the rest began to actively avoid their fire. Some of the clones slowly began to back away in tension, nervous that they'd be cut down where they knelt.

"Hold your ground!" Cody shouted over the fear of the feral battleground. In a matter of seconds, the commando droids had breach the front line and mercilessly shot down several of his troopers. Many of the soldiers dying screams echoed in his helmet, chilling him to the bone. Nonetheless, he stood fearless, blasting off rounds into the enemy droids painted faces. The closest commando suddenly cart wheeled to Cody and kicked the blaster clean from his grip. Its metal foot shoved right into Cody's gut, sending him onto his back on the desert ground. Kenobi's clone watched in anger and panic as it lifted its gun to fire into his heart. In a split second, a flash of glowing blue shredded the droid where it stood. Cody gasped and struggled to get up. He looked around to discover his savior, thinking it was Kenobi. He was wrong, but not far off. Anakin Skywalker and Rex were sprinting toward him as Anakin's lightsaber flew back to him with aid of the force.

"Cody! Where's Obi-Wan?" He yelled. Cody gathered himself and his blaster. The pair stopped in front of him for a moment.

"Generals Kenobi and Windu charged into the center of the fight to distract the heaviest fire from our front lines." He barely got out the words before Anakin charged off, lightsaber ignited and that fierce look in his eye. Rex stayed behind with Cody as they began shooting at a few B1 droids that had caught their attention.

Obi-Wan and Windu were given no break as they exhausted their efforts trying to avoid being hit while attempting to lessen the droid numbers.

"I hope Ahsoka shuts those droids down in time or they'll be nothing left of us!" Windu shouted to Kenobi, despite the man being right behind him.

"Me too." Was all Obi-Wan could breathe at the moment. Then, like lightning, Anakin Skywalker burst from nowhere, savagely cutting down droids left and right, right and left and all around him.

"Anakin!" Windu exclaimed. He didn't have time to go on since he was interrupted by a destroyer droid. "Blast." He muttered. Yanking his arms back he thrust them back forward, sending a momentous wave of energy toward the line of droids. In seconds, twenty feet worth of droids had been obliterated.

"You were saying?" Anakin ridiculed softly. Fortunately, he did not hear. Obi-Wan leapt back next to Anakin to speak with him.

"Did you send Ahsoka in the right direction? What's taking her so long?" He said wearily.

"She'll get the job done, master." He shouted, trying to hold back his anger. _She'll get the job done…_


	4. Resurgence

"I don't mean to rush you, but please hurry up." Ahsoka whispered to Motormouth, who had been fiddling with the power cords for nearly ten minutes. They had gained entry to the enemy base easily enough. They guessed that this would be the tricky part then, no droids had stopped them yet. It was unnerving to the both of them. There was no way the Separatists were that ignorant of their presence within the fortress. The power room was dark and cold, with dull metallic colors and odd switches and gauges. It was odd to have the control station for the droids' power outside of the command center, but the Jedi didn't question it too intensely. She was just grateful they made it this far without hindering complications.

"Well what would you do?" He asked, pulling himself away from the panel. The female gave a small shrug.

"On Geonosis, Barriss and I blew up the Separatist's weapons factory. Of course, we ended up trapped in a tank under meters of rubble…" She trailed off, realizing perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to repeat.

"Yeah trapped under meters of rubble doesn't sound like a pleasant place to bond Commander Tano." He bantered softly. She smirked in amusement.

"I've got an idea." Leaving him to ponder this, she began to dig inside the GAR backpacks they brought with them.

"Commander, what are you-" he then understood what she intended. In her hands, she held time release charges. Detonators that would explode when the origin charger was activated. It meant they could put multiple charges in the base, find Tambor, force him to surrender, and leave the base before blowing it sky high.

"You're a genius." He finished as she smiled at him. She placed the two she had in his hands and reached for more.

"Get going, and put them in locations not easily seen." She ordered.

"Yes sir." He said as he rose up from his crouch on the ground. Ahsoka did the same as they began to set them in distant areas. Motormouth slid one under the main control panel and activated the ready signal. Sounds from outside the base and within the base could be very distantly heard. Ahsoka could hear the heavy fire from guns, tanks, cannons…Just then her right side tingled oddly. The moment she looked to her right, a door slid open and in piled three commando droids ready for a fight.

"There they are! Blast them!" The one at point ordered.

"Motormouth get down!" Ahsoka snapped as she ignited her sabers to defend them from the impending blaster fire. Fortunately, the clone commander was behind several canisters and the droids couldn't see him, or knew where he was from the start. Pulling his twin pistols from their holster, he quietly peered from behind the metallic tube. Two were engaged with the commander in a death battle, whereas the third began to search for the alleged second member of this invasion party. _Blast. But at least I can direct his fire away from the commander. _He thought. Rolling down low, he held his arms out in front of him. The canisters had metal legs underneath raised up from the ground. From below, Motormouth spied the third commando's skinny legs walking around the left side. _Gotcha…_The clone thought. Firing at the connected knee joint, he managed to incapacitate the droid's leg. Immediately firing a second shot when he saw the droid's head crashing down to the ground.

"Perfect!" he blurted to himself.

Ahsoka swung her sabers about as she ventured closer to the enemy, hoping to sneak in a slash attack. Suddenly the second commando droid leapt toward the wall, and back flipped high into the air and landed behind Ahsoka, forcing her to stand sideways to deflect their fire. Giving a small irritated huff, she sailed into the air and threw both her lightsabers, an attack most commonly performed by her master despite the danger of throwing away both weapons, at the commandos below. In that moment, neither droid expected the sudden and clever assault and both were dismantled by the burning blade.

"Commander? Where'd you go?" Ahsoka called out, disengaging her sabers and clipping them back onto her belt. Boots tapping on the metal ground alerted her to a presence to her left. Motormouth slowly emerged with both pistols drawn, pointed upwards.

"That wasn't too difficult. But I suggest we vacate the area before they send more." He suggested, keeping his blasters out in case of more unwanted guests.

"Right. Let's go find Tambor. I'll keep the detonator handy in case we run out of options." She informed as they began to exit through the door the commandos came from. The pair ran through the steel corridors at a light run.

"If I'm not mistaken, Tambor should be in the control room." Motormouth said.

"Or in the hangars getting ready to flee like the coward he is." Ahsoka added.

"Do you suggest we split up to either of those locations then?"

"No, definitely not. We'll go to the control room first. If we split up it could reduce our chances of both of us getting out alive."

"What if he's not in the control room?"

"We'll go the hangar, granted we still have the availability to do that."

"Yes sir." Motormouth slowed to a halt to press a keypad next to a large door. Seemingly, the base did not lock down for intruders. Perhaps they were waiting to hear back from the commandos sent to investigate. _They'll never hear back from them either. _Ahsoka smirked.

"Here we are Commander. This is the door to the control room." Motormouth announced as they slowed down to the last door. Oddly enough, they had encountered only seven more droids in their journey here. The encountered droids were merely confused B1s.

"Let's finish this." Ahsoka said in finality. With the force, she opened the door. The door cascaded open and the pair approached with their weapons drawn. The control room was empty, except they could tell someone was sitting in a tall chair behind a three sixty panel.

"Surrender peacefully Wat Tambor and may the Republic have mercy on you." Ahsoka said fiercely. Again with the force, she waved her hand to swing the chair to face them.

"What the-Jedi?" Neither the voice nor the appearance was what they expected. Sitting in the chair was a B1 battle droid in yellow markings; most likely a sergeant. A moment of confusion between the two passed before Ahsoka pounced and held her lightsaber at the droid's metal neck, visibly distraught and frustrated by this false trail.

"Where's Tambor?" She growled, giving her most intimidating sneer possible. It worked, for the droid had backed up far into the chair and lifted its arms in fear.

"H-he fled the control room! He was going to Hangar 3-A!" It said sputtered in terror. Ahsoka sighed and reluctantly pulled away.

"Just what I feared." She muttered to herself. The droid gave a relieved gesture, believing that perhaps these two would spare his parts. Just as he did, Motormouth took aim with his pistol and delivered a one shot kill to the head. The headless droid slumped stiffly over the metal arm of the chair.

"Let's make a sprint for the hangars. Maybe he's still obtainable!" She ordered.

"We better hurry. The battle outside looks to be getting out of hand." Ahsoka shivered and looked to the clone. His head was in the direction of the large window offering a near panoramic view to the devastation afar. The padawan stepped up to the window and looked out. The swelling masses of droids were completing overwhelming the poor clones. Two out of four AT-TEs were already destroyed. The third was being severed by the lasers of a massive spider droid.

"Let's go then." She said with a shudder. _No time to waste. My master needs me to complete my mission._

The hangars must have been where the party had moved to. Several super battle droids were stationed at the doors.

"Commander…" Motormouth began warily as they charged toward the supers.

"Already on it." With a might force push, for more powerful than she expected, the droids flew back into the door, and took the large metal panels out of their place and skidded across the hangar floor.

"Whoa, Commander…"

"I'm sorry. I overdid it." Ahsoka mumbled a quick apology. Her anxiety was beginning to gently pierce her composure. The duo sprinted into the hangars where at that moment, a ship was soaring out into the sky. A separatist transport. Ahsoka closed her eyes, sensing their missing target had boarded that ship for a retreat.

"Blast…" She whispered. There were no droids in the hangars themselves, only guarding outside, which Ahsoka had brutally destroyed. There were no other ships present in the hangar. Either this one was made private, or everyone else had seen their impending doom and fled earlier.

"Commander, I suggest we retreat as soon as possible so that we may destroy the base to help the troops." Motormouth suggested moving to stand near her disappointed sulking form. "We can't do anything more."

"You're right." She pulled out the detonator. Without letting another second passed, her thumb pressed the button in and from below and far, but still close enough to harm them, a resounding boom echoed.

…

Anakin was beginning to lose his temper, with everything around him. The droids around him suffered intense damage from either force or burning blade. He was far enough from either of his abettors to use a darker tinge to his attacks. He feared losing the battle, losing his men, his padawan and master. Just then, above his head he saw a Separatist shuttle leaving the base and retreating far into the skies of Ryloth.

"Tambor…" He gave a guttural snarl; even more enraged they had lost. Suddenly a boom louder than anything they had heard echoed throughout the battlefield. In a dash of hope, he glanced to the base again. Smoke and fire rose up and increased from the rear part. Coinciding with the explosion, the droids around him suddenly crippled to the ground and shut down, several even just fell over. A second explosion rocked the earth as the Separatist base began to crumble on the left side. The massive slabs of stone fell in slow motion as they toppled to the ground. A cloud of dust formed from the impact area. A flickering thought entered Anakin's mind. _I hope Ahsoka got out of the base all right…_Immediately, he lifted his comlink to his mouth to contact her.

"Ahsoka it's Anakin, did you escape the base before you blew it up?" He asked nervously into the tiny device. There was static on the other end and silence. His heart did a small clench in time with his stomach.

"Ahsoka! Did you escape the base?" He almost shouted. There was a small click sound.

"Master!" Ahsoka's voice came and went.

"Ahsoka!"

"Master, we escaped from the hangars. We should be in view of you in minutes." She said breathily, as if she were sprinting back. Skywalker sighed with relief. They had made it unscathed he assumed. He looked around him at the fallen droids, clones, and the battle as a whole. He did a mental evaluation of the fight.

Obi-Wan approached him within the minute.

"Is Ahsoka coming?" He inquired, looking a little beat up.

"Yes, we should be able to see her in a bit." Anakin turned toward the late location of the base and watched eagerly for her form to appear.

"Windu is pulling our forces back to the _Resolute. _His fleet will remain for a few days to ensure the Separatist presence is truly eliminated from Ryloth. And to provide relief efforts for the Twi'leks."

"So he's going to finish the job for us?"

"Yes. And good thing too. We've been here on Ryloth for weeks." Obi-Wan crossed his arms and waited with his apprentice for Ahsoka. Anakin was actually glad to get out of the heat of battle and back to Coruscant. For a brief second, his mind pictured Padme waiting on the city planet. He kept that thought brief enough so that Obi-Wan couldn't sense it.

Many of the clones with fatal injuries during the final wave writhed on the battlefield amidst droid and brother alike. Kix and his team of medics frantically scoured the area for those able to cling to life a little longer. Anakin watched from the corner of his eye. Ahsoka wouldn't like returning to a scene such as this. Kix and another medic Helio were bent over a clone with two blaster shots to his abdomen. Obi-Wan flinched beside Anakin as the down clone emitted a chilling cry when Kix tried to move him. Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's arm.

"Wait for Ahsoka, I'm going to help Kix and Helio." He said as he began to walk off. Skywalker merely nodded and refocused back on the location Ahsoka would most likely be emerging from.

After seeing the immense number of wounded clones, Windu ceased his lead on boarding the 501st and 212th back onto the _Resolute_ and began to assist anyone he could that was in dire need of medical attention. Obi-Wan guided a stretcher to the clone Kix was trying to help. Helio had skirted sideways to aid a clone several feet away with his foot facing the wrong direction. In fact, many of the standing troopers from any of the three legions took it upon themselves to help their fallen brothers. It was both an honorable and painful sight. Anakin gave a troubled sigh and closed his eyes. So many deaths this day, even if it had proved victorious. He knew Rex would be moody later due to losing so many of his brothers. After missions such as this one he often keeps to himself for a bit if his presence wasn't required. It hurt him. This was almost as bad as Teth; so many lost lives. Anakin felt something coming in his direction a distance off. His head snapped that way and looked on. Emerging from the wavy horizon were two figures. One easily identified as a clone trooper, the other smaller and slimmer. Ahsoka had returned.


	5. Closer Bonds

_Resolute_

_ 1700 hours_

The _Resolute _was nearly silent after the departure of Ryloth. No clone nor Jedi spoke as they boarded the flagship. After the numbers were in, the 212th had suffered the most casualties. Many of the wounded clones were 212th legion as well, and eventually died due to fatal wounds. The trek back on board the _Resolute _was a quiet one for Cody's legion. Ahsoka had kept silent, trying to urge Motormouth to do the same, even though both were excited that they had worked so well together during their mission. Despite Wat Tambor fleeing the planet, Anakin remained proud of his padawan that she had so successfully infiltrated the base and destroyed it. When Ahsoka and her clone were face to face with Skywalker, he saw that both were covered head to toe in dust and debris from the crippling base. The smudge of dirt on Ahsoka's cheek from earlier had attracted specks of sand to it.

Ahsoka walked down the steel corridors of the _Resolute_, calmed by the sound of the twin engines humming continuously. The hallway was well lit with the overhead panels. She reeked of sweat and heat and oil and her light feet carried her to her quarters where she planned to take a long break in the fresher and perhaps a nap.

Once safe inside her quarters, Ahsoka stripped herself of the moist battle gear. She'd have to pull out another one later. For now, she just wanted the sticky residue of sweat and war off her. With the force, she quickly locked the door to her quarters so no one would barge in uninvited. Being a female aboard the ship had certain perks. One for instance, Ahsoka was granted her own fresher inside her quarters for convenience. The last piece of clothing dropped to the floor as she grabbed a towel from the drawer and jumped into the sanisteam. The feel of hot water running off her body and cleansing her instantly soothed her frayed nerves. Ahsoka had waited at the bridge with Anakin until the busiest hours had ended. Through her trek back to her quarters she encountered no one. Sometimes she preferred it that way. The exhausted, wounded, and despondent men aboard the _Resolute _had called it a day and turned in for the long journey back to Coruscant. The Togruta closed her eyes and ran her hands down her montrals to clean the dirt off them. _I'm glad I didn't lose my clone commander the first day. I heard from one of the Jedi masters that they had lost their assigned clone in less than twenty hours of a mission. _Ahsoka pursed her lips, trying to recall the cause of death. _Oh yeah, he lost his life to a giant sheet of metal that collapsed on him. _Her fingernails scrubbed away sand on her arms. _That Jedi should've saved him. All it would've taken was a force push or pull. Careless loss. _She simmered. _Like Windu and Ponds…He didn't seem to care about losing him. I know Anakin would lose it if he lost Rex. _ At least Ahsoka had the humanity to save her own from certain harm_. _Ahsoka quivered from her own morbid thoughts. These thoughts must have been the lingering remains from the catastrophic battle. It was time to breathe fresh and put it past her.

After the young padawan had cleaned herself and dressed into a new battle gear, she could not help but plummet to the bed and lose herself to a deep well-deserved sleep.

_Ahsoka's body suddenly felt as if it had been thrown onto the hostile, blistering cold of Hoth. In the next instant, it dulled down to a moderate chill. She couldn't move, nor open her eyes. Even so, she was aware that her body was lying on its side with her limbs tucked in and her back bent forward. The ground beneath her felt rough, cold, and rock like. Finally, she was granted the ability to open her eyes. When she did, she did not see the safe walls of her quarters on board the Resolute, neither did she see the generic furniture the room held._ What's going on? _She thought. With each breath she drew, fog danced upon the air for a second. Gradually, the feeling returned to her arms, then to her torso. The Togruta unraveled herself from the fetal position. The room became clearer to her as she looked about. The floors and walls were made of a rough, dull concrete. In front of her was a large open gap. Across from her position was a room of similar design. Between the rooms was a wide corridor. Ahsoka pulled herself up with her arms and dragged herself to the edge. Her left leg twitched in response and the feeling returned to both in mere minutes. Looking down either corridor she spied two completely different doors. The one to the right was barricaded with a steel portal and a ray shield protecting it. The other was a tall but narrow iron door with many broken bolts and rust coating the surface. _

_ With one final struggle, Ahsoka managed to haul herself up onto her feet. Obviously she could not advance through the ray shielded door. That left her with one option. The narrow broken door. The padawan slowly approached it, her body up against the left wall, uncertain and inexplicably terrified. As she drew closer to that odd door, the air began to feel oppressive and ringing sound pierced through her head. With the force, she gently pushed the door open a little more, enough so that she could peek in without putting herself into danger. The crooked door creaked and obeyed her power. Ahsoka leaned close, keeping her distance, and heard the buzzing of flies. In that instant an awful smell punched her nose and she nearly retched as she plugged it tightly with her fingers. Taking another step, she could see many black shapes lying on the ground. Bags…they were bags. Big black bags that seemed to contain something too big for them. Suddenly one of the bags split open. Falling out of the slit was a human arm, stained, mutilated with red and purple swells. Ahsoka let out a deafening scream and violently jerked, forcing herself out of the dream like state. _

Ahsoka gasped for breath and wrenched back against the wall, shaking and looking about in panic. The room around her was normal again. The dim light above her was on and all the dull and generic furniture filled the space. _A dream! It was just a dream…_She reassured herself. But why would her dreams plague her with something so abhorrent?

"Commander Tano?!" a voice from outside her door made her flinch. Whoever it was knocked rapidly on the steel soon after speaking.

"Commander Tano are you okay?" she recognized the voice as a clone's. Leaping to her feet, desperate for another living being's presence, she punched the pad beside the locked door to let them in. Behind the door was Motormouth. Ahsoka knew his green markings along his body armor. However, he had his helmet removed. He looked like all the other clones. He bore the standard cropped haircut, but down along his jaw and chin was a neatly trimmed line of black hair.

"Commander are you all right? I was passing by and heard you scream." Motormouth asked, the concern moderately evident. Ahsoka still felt her heart racing from behind her ribs.

"Yes, I-I'm fine…" she suppressed the urge to shiver. Motormouth's eyebrow slowly went up in question.

"You sounded like something had really scared you, or had attacked you." He continued. Ahsoka shook her head.

"No, trust me, it was just a bad dream." Looking past the clone's shoulder, she noticed that all the major lights in the corridor had been shut off. All that remained were the emergency lights that bathed the hall in a low white light.

"Well dream or not, I wanted to make sure you were all right." The clone said. Ahsoka smiled very weakly and nodded.

"Thanks." Her stomach growled in hunger. She hadn't eaten since Ryloth or maybe before, she could not remember. Motormouth seemed to have heard her stomach complaining.

"I was on my way to the mess. The bridge was still quite busy even after lights out and I didn't get the chance to eat. Would you like to go with me now?" He offered. Delighted to stay close to another living, breathing being, Ahsoka accepted.

"Yes, that sounds nice." She stepped out of her quarters and shut them behind her. The two fell into step together down the dim corridor. Ahsoka then realized she had left her lightsaber on the end table next to her bed. _Oh come on…what are the chances I'll need it? _She thought.

….

Much to her relief, or perhaps increasing her anxiety, the mess was completely deserted. Motormouth had to flick on the lights to the area or else they'd trip over tables and benches in the darkness. Ahsoka shot a sideways glance at her clone commander. Despite that he would be there with her during many missions, and it was important that they bonded and developed a good relationship, she couldn't help but feel that he was a stranger beside her. She really knew nothing about him. The clone left her at the door to see if the meals were still lined up behind the glass pane. Several hours ago, she had felt as if they'd known one another forever. Now, here with no battles, no droids and no trouble, she felt disconnected.

"Ah here we go." His voice was loud in the dead silence of the mess. He took two meals in his hands, one for her and one for him. Ahsoka chose a spot toward the door they'd just entered. The two sat across from one another and began to eat in a rather awkward silence. Ahsoka gently pushed around some white rice on her plate before picking up a forkful to bring to her mouth. Finally, Motormouth broke the silence.

"So you are…Kenobi's padawan?" he asked slowly, unsure of himself.

"Skywalker's actually." Ahsoka gave a small friendly smile to indicate that he had permission to speak freely.

"I see. And Captain Rex is Skywalker's clone captain, correct?" he sounded more sure with this one.

"Yes."

"I've heard a lot about the two of them. Skywalker is a great leader and a powerful Jedi. And I've heard of the very decorated Rex in my time on Kamino."

"He's popular there?" Ahsoka hesitated with another bite of rice.

"Quite. Many of the younger cadets in training idolize him. Though I can't say I blame them." Motormouth took another stab at a piece of meat on his plate. Ahsoka watched as he ate rather delicately, much unlike some of the other clones she had sat with in the past. Perhaps he ate carefully to show her some degree of respect, or that he wasn't just going to devour his food like starving Gundark. Not wanting to talk about Rex the whole time, Ahsoka quickly shifted the subject.

"So I heard you are a squad leader from Master Windu. Where is your squad?" Eventually she grew comfortable enough to keep looking at him.

"General Windu informed me that you would have command over the squad once you have proven yourself to the Jedi Council. And my squad is stationed on Kamino until further notice." He laid his fork down and focused more on the caf beside him.

"What's your squad like? I haven't heard anything about them." Motormouth gave a short laugh.

"Terminator squad is what they called us." Ahsoka felt a small tinge of color in her montrals. The name certainly didn't incite confidence in her.

"Why that name?" She quickly asked before he could speak.

"My squad was the first and only squad to defeat the Citadel simulation in the Kamino training arena on our first try." The pride in his tone was very evident as Ahsoka pushed away her plate and decided to stick with the water.

"My squad mates are a rowdy bunch." He continued. "There's Ross, my second in command. Hammerhead, Razortooth, Brain, Greasetrap our mechanic and our surly sniper, Exitwound." He went on, casually listing the names of what Ahsoka could've believed were criminals of the Underworld.

"Oh," she lost her voice, "that sounds…great…" She felt a fluttering sense of diminishing authority. How could she be expected to lead a squad like that? Motormouth sighed, easily picking up on her lack of confidence.

"Don't be scared away by their names, commander. They will listen to you, when you gain their trust and respect." Despite the attempt to make her feel better it only made her feel worse; mostly the last part. She took a long drink of water even though her thirst had long since been quenched.

"Sounds more like a squad for Anakin." She mumbled. Motormouth gave a light smirk. The doors to the mess hall opened in a loud whoosh sound. Both of them turned to look, wondering who in their right mind would come to the mess at this hour. Walking in was Jester, Punch and Sketch, from Sergeant Slick's platoon. Ahsoka's brow sunk, then she remembered. The clones in his squad had been quarantined to ensure that they had no alliance to the Separatists nor information about Slick's betrayal prior to his confession. Each one was picked off and interrogated for a month before either passed to the _Resolute _where they'd be assigned a new squad leader, or sent to military prison for further interrogation. These three had apparently passed. Chopper and Gus were under heavier surveillance since Gus was second in command, and Chopper was a rather odd clone all himself.

"Evening commanders." Sketch spoke. He and Punch marched to the window pane for a meal. Jester faltered a bit before falling back in line.

"Evening troopers," Motormouth answered before Ahsoka could get out a word, "little late for a midnight snack?" he eyed them curiously.

"Sorry sir. We arrived late from our transport. We've been stationed on board the _Resolute _until we are assigned a new squad leader." Punch answered this one. Rather than sitting at a separate table, the three came to sit with them. Jester sat with Ahsoka, while Punch and Sketch sat beside one another to the right of Motormouth.

"I see." Ahsoka felt the steely tone in her clone commander's voice. It seemed even he was aware of the traitorous dealings with Slick.

"What about Gus and Chopper?" Ahsoka inquired, looking to Sketch. The clone took a large bite of a ration bar. The Togruta's eyes flicked to Punch for an answer, who just swallowed a bite.

"We know Gus is under interrogation, but he is expected to return soon."

"He's a good soldier. He has his head in the right place." Jester chimed in.

"Chopper," Sketch said after he finished the chunk of ration bar, "they have him under careful scrutiny. I guess they didn't like his little necklace of droid fingers very much. They feel he might be a ticking time bomb." Ahsoka bit the inside of her lip. Motormouth had his mouth covered from the position of his hands. His eyes carefully surveyed each of them. For a clone called Motormouth, he sure didn't do too much talking. The both of them had finished their meals and sat with the other clones in a silence. Ahsoka's eyes looked at Motormouth's. His were looking at the wall over Jester's shoulder. Sketch and Punch began to speak quietly to one another in Mando'a. Very subtly, Ahsoka moved her right leg up to find her clone commander's. Gingerly, she made contact with his shin and nudged him, looking at his eyes for the reaction. His eyes went slowly to look into hers and he remained statue still, exactly what Ahsoka hoped for. Her eyes made a dart motion toward the door, indicating they should depart. Motormouth gave the smallest of nods and then got to his feet.

"Well it's been an interesting evening, troopers, but I think I will call it a day." He grabbed his tray and freed himself from the bench. Ahsoka got to her feet as well and began to make for the door.

"I need to get some rest if I'm going to the Jedi Temple tomorrow anyway." She said. Sketch, Jester and Punch watched them as they discarded their trays and left through the main door. The three exchanged looks and ate the rest of their meal in silence.

Once outside the mess, Motormouth gazed curiously at Ahsoka.

"Why did you have us leave?" he inquired. She shook her head.

"You know that those clones were part of Sergeant Slick's platoon?"

"The clone that sold Republic information to Asajj Ventress? Yes, commander I am aware. But please tell me you are not suspicious of them committing treason." He gave her a brief accusing glare.

"No! I do not believe they are treasonous solely because they were under Slick's command. I just…you never know. After all they were put into heavy interrogations and quarantine to ascertain that they had no knowledge of Slick's actions. Those three passed but clones like Chopper, clones that are so deviant from the norm are handled differently." Ahsoka bit her lip to keep herself from going on. The last thing she wanted was to offend her commander, or come off condescending towards clones. Her body quivered with tension as she looked at him. Motormouth kept silent and looked ahead. His eyes avoiding hers.

"I've offended you…" she stated sadly. His eyes flicked her way for the first time.

"No, commander. I am not offended. I understand your fear of inner corruption. But a severely deviated clone is extremely rare. You have nothing to fear." He offered her a smile, making her feel much better.

To prevent any more awkward mishaps or misguided statements, Ahsoka kept her mouth shut and let her commander speak. She enjoyed listening to him talk. The commander spoke highly of his squad mates, his trainer; he also spoke of past missions and the experiences he had gained. They reached Ahsoka's quarters first.

"Do you sleep in the barracks with your men?" she asked.

"No, higher ranking clones are granted a very small, but private room just to sleep and dress. I'm down the hall from Captain Rex if you need me." He turned from her and began to walk away. "See you soon commander." Ahsoka watched him leave until he disappeared from sight, then went into her quarters again. The room was small and dim, and very, very quiet. It unnerved her, the quiet. Slowly she went to lie down on the bed again, hoping to get some rest. The eerie dream from earlier came flooding into her mind. She rolled to lay on her side, facing the openness of the room. _It was just a dream. When will I ever come across a place so evil as that? _She talked herself out of her fear. Eventually, a dreamless sleep claimed her.


	6. Tenebrous Ideation

_Coruscant_

_ 1400 hours_

Anakin Skywalker weaved around the aerial traffic of the city planet of Coruscant. It was late afternoon and the routes were clogged with ships and barges and every other flying machine.

"Blasted…" the Jedi muttered to himself. He would never reach Padme's apartment at this rate. But if he arrived too early, he would have to wait outside until her guests and clone guard departed. Two lines of gridlock above him were in a jolting pattern of stopping and starting as a traffic light malfunctioned. Eventually, the ships being confused by the light started to ignore it and navigate to an alternative route. Skywalker sighed through his nose and checked the time. Approximately, Padme's guests were expected to depart within five minutes. Swooping under the seemingly stuck in place luxury shuttle, Anakin expertly dodged incoming ships and careened to the right before sailing straight up the Senate Apartment Complex. Many of the windows were tinted dark enough that outsiders could not see in. He had tried to convince Padme to do the same with her windows for protection but she always accused him of being paranoid.

Anakin punched in auto-pilot coordinates for his starship to search for the nearest hangars. He would worry about the ship later. Climbing out of his seat, he slid back the glass top and used the force to perform an incredibly high jump that put him just one floor under Padme's apartment. With another well executed leap, he found himself balancing precariously on the railings along the lanai. Fortunately, some thick curtains were drawn over the window he was hiding behind. Laughter and fading chatter emitted from within the area. He ducked down and hid for a moment as he waited for the remaining guests to leave.

"An excellent speech, Senator," a man's voice complimented, Anakin could not see him. He could not identify the voice either.

"Thank you Senator Leymin." Padme's voice responded. Skywalker did not recognize the name either.

"Perhaps you have swayed my opinion this evening after all." Senator Leymin said strangely. "Good day." Anakin found a sliver of exposed window to peek through. Senator Leymin was oddly tall and gangly. His skin was a shade of grey and his features sharp. With merely a glance, Anakin could not tell what species he was, and even less so as the man turned to show himself out. The sounds from inside cut off and he heard Padme give a gentle sigh.

"What an odd man." He heard her say. Slinking around to peer at her, the Jedi watched as she gathered many glasses of various colors and set them together. Her back was toward him as she tidied up the slightly disarrayed apartment. He gave a small smile and glanced at a pillow on the half circular couch. With the force, he lifted it up and sent it gently sailing over to her. The small pillow gingerly hit her right elbow. Padme flinched and gasped in fright and whipped around to see the object at her feet. Her eyes nervously scanned the empty room.

"Ani, that's not funny!" she scolded. Anakin's smile broke before he came out of hiding.

"How did you know it was me?" he sauntered into the room and took a seat on the couch.

"I always know when it's you." She replied, picking up the pillow and throwing it manually at him. He smirked and caught it, putting it back. Padme was clad in a dark magenta dress with an open slit up one leg and a golden chain halter around the back of her neck. Her hair was lightly pinned in buns to the side of her head with a piece of stray hair in front.

"What was this all about?" he gestured to the remnants of the party with his hand.

"Oh, this was a small soiree I organized in order to deliver a brief speech about our war efforts and the production of new clones." She said. "I am trying to get the senate to approve a bill that will-" Anakin got to his feet as she was talking and strode up to her. His lips met hers very quickly in order to politely silence her for the moment. He was weary of war talk and politics. He came here to spend a stress less evening with his wife before more bad news regarding Tambor came in. Padme was slightly taken aback by his action but quickly accepted the kiss and her hands slid around his neck. Anakin slowly moved her back until she was against the wall, still kissing her sweet mouth.

"The dress looks beautiful on you." He whispered, his fingers toying with the clip on the back of the halter.

"Ani…" she lost her voice and her thought for that matter as he gently guided her backwards to her bedroom.

"We can clean up the party mess later." He whispered, grasping the fabric of her dress and closing the bedroom door behind them.

…..

The hour was late, and the traffic had dulled down to scattered ships gliding smoothly in the air. The large window granted a magnificent view of Coruscant's lively city. The bright lights sparkling in the dark were not as great as the stars above, but sometimes just as pretty to look at. Anakin laid on his back with an arm behind his head. The other arm cradled Padme who was lightly dozing off against his chest. The dark magenta dress was at the other end of the bed in a crumpled heap. Anakin bent forward to kiss Padme's head.

"So Ahsoka has a clone commander now? Is that right?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah. Commander Motormouth of Terminator Squad." Anakin specified, remembering what Windu had told him earlier.

"Gosh, what an intimidating squad name for Ahsoka."

"She can handle it. From what I've seen so far Motormouth seems very respectful and is a model soldier. He won't let his squad get the best of her." Padme made a strange sound. Before Anakin could question it she spoke again.

"Does she have the squad under her leadership yet or just the commander?"

"Just the commander for now. Windu explained it will be more like a test to see if she is ready to handle commanding one. If she passes, then I guess the squad is hers. Then when she passes into knighthood…" he trailed off as a small ache swelled in his chest.

"When she becomes a Jedi Knight the squad will already be well acquainted with her. That's good!" she finished for him.

"Mmm-hmm." He mumbled ambiguously. He shifted slightly to hold her closer then settled back down.

"Who is Senator Leymin? I've never heard his name mentioned in the senate." Anakin changed the subject. Padme grimaced.

"Senator Kol Leymin is new to the senate. He comes alone as the ambassador of a planet few to none have heard of. There is speculation he is a Separatist imposter trying to gain intel on the Republic Senate and the decisions made." Anakin felt her shiver in his arms, and her skin prickled into tiny little bumps.

"He gives me the creeps." She muttered.

"I can see that." He whispered, gently running a finger along her arm.

"He just doesn't seem right. His species is rather questionable as well. A near humanoid I would assume but I can't classify on sight alone."

"What does he look like?" Anakin wondered, hoping she could describe him in more detail than what he saw from the window.

"Well…his skin was a mottled grey and looked reptilian. He was very tall; I'd say maybe seven feet. He was bald and wore black shades over his eyes. He never took them off. And his fingers were long and spindly. He dressed in odd black and grey robes too. And his mouth…his teeth were long but rectangular and his lips didn't look as if they could close all the way. That's the best I can describe it. He was actually rather scarce during the party." Padme explained. During that time, she had actually moved closer to him as if the strange creature were hiding in the shadows of the room. Anakin held her body close to his protectively. _Kol Leymin…_He repeated silently to himself. Reluctantly, he pulled himself away from Padme and made to rise from the bed.

"Stay here. I'm going to have a look around the apartment." Padme stirred to rise as well.

"Ani…"

"Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." He reassured her. He slipped on a pair of pants and took his lightsaber with him. Padme had her ELG-3A blaster pistol by her beside if the need to use it arose. With a heavy sigh, she laid back in bed and kept her eyes to the door. The room was softly illuminated by the tireless lights of Coruscant.

Anakin stepped back out in the main area of the apartment. Nothing had changed since they'd left. Soundlessly, the Jedi made his way to the kitchen. His eyes scanned the cabinets and table for any type of communicator, bomb, or evidence of any tampering. The only thing he saw were scuff marks on the tile. Most likely made by someone with cheap footwear he deduced. In the sink were several square plates for serving. Moving into the living room, he scrutinized every crevice on the end tables, the couch, the pillows, the coffee table, everything. There was nothing out of the ordinary with Padme's furniture. Suddenly he remembered the refresher. Surely some guests would have to make a mandatory leave to visit the fresher. Almost too cautiously, Anakin poked his head through the door. Nothing was disturbed in the room. The appliances were innocent of crime. Once again, he scrutinized everything down to the last tile. His search turned up nothing. There was nothing unusual in the apartment. He moved out and crossed the apartment back to Padme.

When he returned, she was sitting eagerly up in the bed.

"Well?" she pressed.

"Nothing. There's nothing to report." He climbed back into bed and kissed her hungrily. Padme kissed him conservatively, but pulled away to speak.

"What were you looking for?" Anakin's gaze dropped then went back to her.

"Anything suspicious." He admitted. She gave a heavy sigh.

"You're too protective. It was just a little party."

"And parties can take a turn for the worse." Before she could speak, he continued, "did you invite Leymin or did he turn up without an invitation?" he pressed.

"He came with another senator. Anakin, I don't know if he is anything of significance. It was rumored he is shady, but his reputation says otherwise." Her eyes had narrowed into an irritated glare. Anakin leaned close to kiss her cheek.

"I just want you to be safe." He murmured. Padme gave a weak smile and leaned against him. The bed creaked as they settled back under the sheets. His mouth went to her neck and his hand to her waist. An abrupt chirping sound startled them both as Anakin lurched up from the bed.

"Blast! That's my communicator." He said mainly to himself. Swiftly, he grabbed his Jedi robe and threw it on to conceal his half nude body. His hand groped about his clothing trying to locate the device. He found it under the bed beside a boot. A sapphire hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi came to life in his hand as he stood straight and clicked the button.

"Anakin, where are you?" Obi-Wan's said in a long, tired tone.

"I'm at the _Resolute._" He lied. "Where are you?"

"I am at the Jedi Temple in the Situation Room. You are requested to join us by order of Master Yoda. We have to contact Master Windu and keep ourselves updated on the relief mission of Ryloth."

"Okay, okay, just let me get down there and I'll see you shortly." He said promptly.

"Right. Then I'll see you here." Obi-Wan said, disappearing right after. The room went dark again as the bright blue image of his master vanished. His eyes saw big dots for a moment.

"That sounds important, you better go." Padme said. Anakin pulled off the robe and laid it out on the bed in order to properly dress himself.

"It's just boring mandatory mission details." he muttered. Padme nodded but said nothing. Once dressed, he cinched his robe back around him and leaned over the bed to give Padme one more kiss.

He left her room and strode across the still untidy apartment. Anakin faltered in step for a moment. Padme had gone back to sleep as he had left. With the force, he quickly pulled all of the dirty glasses to him and put them into the sink. The pillows straightened themselves out, the clean dishes neatly stacked themselves and tucked away. After tidying up, he went through the door and made his way to the Jedi Temple.


	7. Conclave

_Jedi Temple _

_1600 hours_

Anakin strode down the barren cathedral halls of the Jedi Temple to the Situation Room. His robes billowed around him in his haste. He certainly wasn't early. It took him nearly two hours to locate his starship again and get under way. The sleazy Rodian at the hangars, that his ship had disappeared off to, tried to charge him double for storing his ship there 'after hours'. A simple Jedi mind trick fixed that painlessly.

Oddly, Anakin did not see any other occupants during his path to the Situation Room. Then again, it was after midnight. Everyone was probably already settled into a space. Outside the enormous windows, many ships still glided through the air. The lights of the city glittered brightly in the dark, trying to rival the beauty of the stars. Anakin always preferred the stars.

The door to the Situation Room whooshed open. It was dim with only the center console providing light. There was a hologram of Mace Windu standing with his arms crossed. Beside him in the image was Commander Wolffe. Clearly they were already in mid discussion, or perhaps Skywalker had walked in just in time.

"There are disbanded pockets of Separatists droids scattered in the debris and canyons, but we are swiftly eliminating them as we speak." Master Windu said to Obi-Wan as Anakin took a standing place beside his master. Evidently he was late.

"That's good to hear. But what about Wat Tambor?" Kenobi spoke.

"We understand that Tambor fled the planet as Padawan Tano infiltrated the base. She was unable to apprehend him." Windu said. Anakin tensed slightly.

"Unfortunate I understand." Obi-Wan continued. "But General Aayla Secura has reported Separatist involvement on the planet of Felucia. There is another chance to capture Tambor."

"True enough. But we don't have the evidence to conclude that Tambor is on Felucia." From behind the table, Master Yoda appeared and moved about the room.

"Catch him, we will, but with time and patience." He spoke. Windu's gaze dropped for a moment in thought. Obi-Wan merely nodded.

"That is all I have for you." Windu finally said. "I need to return to my mission. May the force be with you." He said to all.

"May the force be with you as well." Obi-Wan said. After that, the image faded out and the room was in momentary darkness before the side lights around the room kicked on.

"Well thank you for inviting me to this twenty second chat." Anakin said to Obi-Wan. He turned to leave.

"Not yet finished, we are." Master Yoda spoke up. Skywalker froze and turned in place.

"There is something else?" Obi-Wan asked, sounding surprised.

"A distress signal, reached us it has. From the unknown regions beyond the outer rim it is." The small Jedi master touched a few buttons on the console and the image of the galaxy lit up. The side lights flicked off so they would not obstruct the view. The hologram automatically honed in to a very distant arm of the galaxy. The nearest planet near the dot was called Dosuun, which was one mega parsec away.

"A distress signal that far off?" Obi-Wan exclaimed, very surprised to see this.

"Who's even out there that we know of? Surely neither the Republic nor Separatists have been there." Anakin added. Yoda shook his head slowly.

"Around the area, we have been in the past. Someone who knows us, there must be. Investigate we must." He kept his eyes on the map, the little blue dot blinking at the source of the distress signal. Yoda closed down the map after a few more seconds.

"Who do you have in mind to send?" Anakin asked.

"It's so odd that we would receive a signal from that far off." Obi-Wan said mainly to himself, his fingers stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"You two, I will send. Your padawan as well, and a very small group of clones. This is who you will take. Set out immediately you shall, but keep this mission secret you must." Yoda stated. Obi-Wan's fingers curled and his knuckles pressed into his chin.

"How much time will this mission take? We cannot fly so far out of reach of the Republic should either of us need assistance." He asked in concerned tone.

"We'll need a fast ship then." Anakin insisted.

"The fastest ships are one person starships, Anakin, we'll need something to fit all of us."

"What about the _Twilight_?" Obi-Wan gave a brief chuckle.

"Your freighter?"

"Hey it's fast! After all the upgrades I've given to it it's just as good as a starship."

"If we jump far enough into hyperspace we needn't worry." Yoda waved a hand patiently, their small bickering vexing him.

"Your ship, Skywalker, will do. Set out now you must, if the mission is to be completed in time." He spoke, looking up at the both of them. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Very well. We'll head back up to the _Resolute_, gather who we need and set out."

"What about Admiral Yularen?" Anakin asked. "Should we tell him anything or give him command of the _Resolute _until further notice and tell him it's 'Jedi Business'?"

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Kenobi said, beginning to walk out. Skywalker followed him. Behind them, Yoda trailed along as well.

"Skywalker and Kenobi." He said. The two paused outside the room. Yoda hobbled out to meet them. He outstretched his hand to Kenobi.

"Take this. The coordinates to your location, it is."

"Thank you Master Yoda. We'll inform you of whatever we discover here as soon as possible." The three nodded farewells for the moment and parted for the second time. Yoda made for one of the spires as the other Jedi headed for the Temple entrance, preparing to return to the _Resolute_, uncertain of what their mysterious mission entailed.

_Resolute_

_ 1700 hours_

Ahsoka clutched the rather stiff pillow over her head as she lay curled up on the bed. After she parted ways with Motormouth, she sat awake in her bed for what seemed like hours until her eyelids grew so heavy she couldn't bear to keep them open any longer and fell deeply, dreamlessly asleep. At one point she could've sworn she heard someone knock on her door. She was vaguely aware that it might have been Rex asking for her, but she wasn't positive it was real or part of her exhausted imagination. She'd ask and apologize later when she saw him.

The knee high boots she wore were still on her feet. She hadn't even taken them off. The lightsaber was still resting on the bed side table undisturbed, much to her relief. Even though she doubted a trip to the mess would result in the need to have it with her. Throwing the pillow off her face, she groggily moved to sit up. The Togruta was certainly more attentive. A few mere hours of sleep were better than none. She lazily moved to drop her legs to the ground to stand up. Her hand wiped over her still drowsy face. The battle of Ryloth offered little sleep and comfort to her, as well as to her troops.

The padawan had departed her quarters after a few minutes to go supervise the bridge. No doubt her masters would be there. And perhaps she could ask Rex what he needed from her. The steel corridors of the _Resolute _were brightly lit and several shinies made their way around the corners in even numbers, and never alone. They all donned their helmets, ready to answer the call of duty at any given moment. A few even gave her the formal 'sir' to address her as they passed. Ahsoka learned to just nod sternly at them from Rex so that she would not have to speak each time. Her feet gently padded along the floor as she prepared to click the turbolift to bring her to the bridge. Abruptly, her comlink went off giving her a fright. She reached for it to answer.

"Ahsoka, it's me." Anakin Skywalker's voice came clear over the line. "Meet me in the hangars."

"Yes master, I'll be right there." She replied. The line went dead._ Why is he in the hangars? _She thought suspiciously. Nonetheless, she spun around to face the opposite way and began to trek to the hangars. Only there would she receive her answer.

The hangars were abandoned and quite silent, very unusual under any circumstance really. Many ships had already been taken care of and hooked up to their spiraling cords above. Half of the hangar area was dark; the other half brightly lit. The only occurring activity was by the _Twilight. _From across the large area, she could see what looked like Jesse and Kix removing some crates from the freighter and then bringing others back on. Near the head of the ship, Obi-Wan was speaking to Commander Cody, who stood without his helmet. For a quick moment, she thought that Cody looked apprehensive, but she doubted it. She was probably just on edge.

"Morning commander!" Jesse called out amiably to her.

"Morning Jesse, Kix." She acknowledged. "Where's Skywalker?" The moment she asked, Anakin came down the ramp leading into the _Twilight. _

"Hey Snips. You feeling all right?" he approached her. Under a rather low whisper, he said, "I knocked on the door to your quarters earlier but you didn't answer." Ahsoka's eyes looked into his.

"That was you? I'm sorry master, I was sleeping. Ryloth really took the energy out of me." He nodded.

"I know. It was a tough mission for sure." His gaze looked distant and oddly distracted.

"So what's going on? Why did you have me come here?" Jesse and Kix disappeared into the ship and did not come out. Anakin looked out of the hangars and gazed at the stars.

"Master Yoda, received a distress signal from a very, very distant planet. Whoever it was definitely knows the Jedi Temple and the Republic. They knew the coordinates exactly." Ahsoka's eyes widened.

"Distress signal? What do we know about it?"

"Not much. We know the relative location of the planet. We've been dispatched to investigate it. Maybe it's a Republic spy in trouble."

"I understand. Where is the planet again?" Ahsoka responded.

"Wild Space. The closest identifiable planet is called Dosuun." Obi-Wan and Cody came towards them, leaving Anakin just enough time to finish his sentence.

"Cody has informed me that the last few missions near that location have resulted in the disappearance of clones." Obi-Wan said. Anakin's eyes shot right to Cody in peaked interest.

"Clones disappearing? How? Like vanish?"

"Sort of. There was a report on the planet of Alzoc III from General Unduli that two clones in her squad had vanished under mysterious circumstances. No one has heard from them since and we cannot locate them by any means." Cody said. Ahsoka noted how tight his shoulders were. If he was relaxed, they would droop lower. _So he is nervous. _She thought.

"What were their names and numbers?" Anakin inquired.

"CT-2382 who was Bolt and CT-6747 who was Reed." Cody answered. Obi-Wan nodded, as if he'd already heard the names.

"Well, let's not waste any time. We need to be rather swift with this mission before the rest of the order realizes were gone." Anakin smirked and the four stepped up the ramp into the _Twilight._

Ahsoka entered the freighter to see Jesse, Kix, Rex, Motormouth, Echo and Fives.

"Big company for a supposedly secret mission." She said as Anakin slid past her to the cockpit.

"We wanted the best clones for this one." He said with a smile.

"In and out, right general?" Fives spoke up.

"In and out. Unless we discover a problematic situation." Obi-Wan stood in the cockpit as Ahsoka moved to take the co-pilot seat.

"We'll have to see when we get there. At the moment, we have no idea what we're getting ourselves into." Anakin powered up the ship with a couple flips of the switches. The freighter roared to life and idled, waiting to take off. The clones sat just outside of the cockpit, waiting patiently until the touched down to commence their peculiar mission. Ahsoka felt a shiver run down her arms and her sides. In the back of her mind, her nightmare from earlier gently surfaced from the ocean of her thoughts before plunging back down into the depths. She pushed it further down and bit her lip. _It was just a dream. I find it quite unlikely that'd I'd ever find myself in a place like that._


	8. Stranded

_Twilight_

_ 2300 hours_

Obi-Wan took over the co-pilot position several hours later to give Ahsoka a chance to stretch. They had entered hyperspace just outside Coruscant, which was taking an oddly longer amount of time than previously believed. Then again, they were traveling from Coruscant to the furthest regions of space. There were still some planets that remained secret, undiscovered, cloaked in the deepest shadows of the galaxy.

Just beyond the cockpit, their small company of clones, once lined up perfectly straight sitting attentively, were now without helmets, lounging in boredom speaking quietly amongst one another. As Ahsoka passed, Jesse got to his feet, a question burning on his tongue.

"Commander, how much longer until we touch down?" He inquired anxiously. He and Kix had been making rather crude jokes about some of the Twi'lek girls they encountered in the early stages of the Ryloth mission under their breath to pass the time.

"Skywalker says we'll be there within the hour." Ahsoka responded, cracking her neck side to side. Her back was sore from sitting in only two positions the entire trip. Commander Cody sat alone in a corner reading a rig manual. He looked up seeing Ahsoka.

"I think the distress signal is the missing clones." He said gruffly. The empty chatter ceased all around them as their eyes turned to the commander. The Togruta's eyes narrowed warily.

"What makes you say that?"

"Troopers around that area go missing. We don't hear anything from them after they go missing, then we receive a distress signal?" the other troopers suddenly looked rather uncertain. Cody went on, "it just doesn't feel right. This mission gives me the creeps." Ahsoka's eyes softened, sharing the feeling.

"I know. It's weird. But whatever is going on, we'll find out about it."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Cody mumbled. He picked his helmet off the bench beside him and slipped it on. Fives spoke up.

"Wherever those clones went, I bet they're bashing heads to escape. Clones don't go down without a fight." His words fired up Kix, Jesse and Echo even more.

"Settle down." Ahsoka scolded, "we aren't going to rush right in there without knowing who our enemy is. The moment we go offensive and blast down their doors we'll probably be captured ourselves."

"Yeah but have you forgotten?" Fives gestured to himself and Echo, "we're ARC troopers? We can handle just about anything thrown at us." His arrogance gave Ahsoka an odd sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Yeah…I hope so…" she said under her breath, but no one heard as they all started up boisterous conversation. The Togruta squeezed past Kix to get back into the cockpit. Anakin and Obi-Wan had exited hyperspace, and the stars were still and no longer blurred streaks.

"Hey snips." Anakin called softly, his back to her.

"So where's the planet?" Ahsoka inquired eagerly, looking around the vicinity as she stood between her masters.

"That's what we're trying to find out." Obi-Wan said in a patient tone.

"Are you saying we don't know where it is?" Ahsoka asked, growing a little worried.

"Well, we're in the right area. We just need to drift for a bit until we come across it." Anakin leaned forward to see out the window.

"Yeah but in which direction? There's nothing out here." Ahsoka said.

"Easy snips, we'll find it." Anakin reassured her, though even he sounded unsure. Obi-Wan was focused on the ship's radar to see if there were any other ships nearby.

"Hold on…" he said. Anakin and Ahsoka froze, tense as they both looked at him. Kenobi did a double take at the radar before leaning far forward to try to locate something in space.

"What? What is it?" Anakin pressed. Obi-Wan didn't answer as his eyes searched. They flicked back down to the radar for a moment, then back up. Suddenly he pointed.

"There!" Both Ahsoka and Anakin were quick to look right in the area Obi-Wan was gesturing to. In the distance, they could see what appeared to be a Separatist shuttle.

"A sheathipede shuttle? All the way out here?" Anakin said dubiously. But there it was, floating in space. From this distance it appeared to be powered down. A few lights on the side flickered eerily. The ship was moving.

"What are the Separatists doing way out here?" Obi-Wan said aloud, mainly to himself.

"I don't know, but we're about to find out." Anakin engaged the thrusters backwards to stay out of their radar. "We can follow them to our mystery planet, then run a bioscan."

"If they don't spot us first." Ahsoka said, leaning over the center console to keep an eye on them.

"They won't." Anakin insisted. Obi-Wan sighed lightly.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

The Separatist shuttle did not see them. The _Twilight _followed at a safe distance until a large round planet came into view. The planet's surface was dark; a dark mottled green with tints of blue and violet. From here black thin stretches of clouds shifted beneath the atmosphere. Anakin's unblinking eyes never once left the Separatist shuttle. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was a trap, and this Separatist decoy was leading them right to it.

"Ahsoka, what's the bioscan picking up?" Skywalker asked without looking at her. With the planet now in view, there was no reason to follow so closely. He pulled back, but kept an eye on it. They'd need to at least see where it landed on the surface.

"Well, the atmosphere is Type I, breathable. The terrain is mostly forests, plains, some large bodies of water-"

"Life forms, Ahsoka, what about life forms?" Anakin interrupted anxiously.

"I'm not getting anything major. There are scarce pockets of life. I can't identify any. And there are certainly no humans here." She reported.

"Strange." Obi-Wan muttered. Anakin's eyes darkened.

"Maybe there are no humans because the planets run by Separatist droids."

"Let's not assume too early. We need to follow that ship as close as we can and watch to see where it lands." Obi-Wan reprimanded. The other did not answer and he instead curled his lip slightly and kept his eyes trained on the shuttle. Suddenly, the ship rocked and something black and fast sailed over the _Twilight._

"What was that?" Ahsoka exclaimed. Anakin flinched and broke contact with the shuttle to look.

"We're being attacked! They know we've been following that shuttle!" Obi-Wan said.

"Jam their communications! I don't want them to know we're out here!" Anakin demanded. The cockpit doors opened behind the three Jedi. It was Rex.

"Generals, what is-"

"Rex!" Ahsoka turned around, "we're being attacked by some sort of starship." Anakin then noticed the sheathipede shuttle travelling a lot faster than it did leading them to the planet.

"Hey! The shuttle's trying to escape!" Anakin roared over the sounds of the black starship sailing back at them from the front, firing oddly lavender colored laser beams. Skywalker slammed the controls as far forward as possible to move the _Twilight _into top speed. The shuttle was gaining distance fast, but soon they would catch up. The ship took another rocking hit as the black starship returned with a vengeance.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan cried. Both ships, then all three dipped below the planet's atmosphere. Instantly, there was a moment of darkness as they passed through a cloud before everything turned to a misty grey fog. The shuttle then began to try to shake them off. It took winding, dangerous loops and turns through the air, attempting to cloak itself amidst the thick fog and black clouds. Anakin stayed right on its tail.

"I can't see anything." Ahsoka said. Obi-Wan tried to locate either the shuttle or the starship, worried equally about both.

Eventually the shuttle led them out of the thick clouds and down toward the surface. Anakin hadn't let up once. The air cleared out almost instantly, and the surface they saw was teeming with lush forests, stretching grasslands and big pockets of dirt. Right behind the _Twilight _was the black starship. It followed closely, firing erratically at the freighter.

"Anakin we have to take out that starship!" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I can't lose the shuttle! It's going to lead us right to where we need to go." Anakin snapped back.

"Anakin! Take out that starship or it's going to take out us!" The shuttle wobbled in the air as it sped toward a dark mountain. At that moment, the black starship fired a shot right at the wing of the freighter. Thrown completely out of balance, the _Twilight _corkscrewed uncontrollably as the ship lost power and control, plummeting straight down to the earth below in a shower of smoke and dirt.

The skies were quiet after the crash. It was silent except for the crackling of the _Twilight's _engine. The shuttle and the black starship were absent from sight, and neither could their engines be heard humming above. The freighter lay on its right side, the side wing snapped in half and the bottom wing badly damaged. It would be impossible to fly the ship now, and even power up the engine long enough to assess damage.

Anakin was first to rise from the wall. Having the ship tilted on its right side was very disorienting, but upside down would be harder to navigate. The Jedi held his forehead in his hand for a moment. It was obvious his head struck something, but he couldn't tell what. Beside him was Ahsoka, laying on her side, her eyes open. For a terrifying moment, Anakin feared she might've been killed in the crash. But then her head rose off the steel wall, then the rest of her body as she moved into a sitting position.

"We crashed didn't we?" She grumbled, rubbing her head and arm.

"_We _didn't crash, that blasted starship took us right out of sky." Both of them flinched as Obi-Wan, who had been properly strapped into the co-pilot chair, disengaged the safety belt and dropped down next to Anakin.

"We have to get out of the ship and make sure everyone else is all right!"

"Right behind you." Anakin pulled himself up. Obi-Wan tried the doors to the cockpit. They would not open, for the power to the ship was gone. He knocked loudly to get the clones attention on the other side.

"Captain Rex! Are your men all right?" Obi-Wan asked loudly. There was an immediate reply.

"General Kenobi! We're a bit banged up back here but we're all in one piece." Rex's voice came through, a bit muffled through the thick door.

"Get away from the door. We'll cut through." Kenobi drew his lightsaber and waited for a moment. Slowly, he pushed the blade through the door and began to cut a vertical oval. Anakin looked toward the large glass shield of the _Twilight. _

"I guess this is our exit." He grumbled, igniting his own lightsaber, and beginning to cut the glass. He finished first, having the quicker job. Obi-Wan used the force to gently pull the cut out from its place and drop it on the ground.

"All right climb through." He said to the troopers. Anakin and Ahsoka had already exited the ship and waited on the hard ground. The glass was neatly cut away from the window and in a small pile of pieces out of the way. Obi-Wan counted each trooper as they exited the ship, making sure everyone on board was accounted for. After Cody, he was the last one out.

"Well I don't think the ship's going anywhere." Anakin said sullenly, gazing at the wreck. Ahsoka looked to her master.

"That shuttle and starship can't be alone here. They must have a base somewhere. And where there's a base, there will be a bigger ship that we could squeeze the _Twilight _onto and take back with us." She said optimistically, trying to cheer Anakin up a tad. He gave a weak smile.

"Yeah. I hope."

The company was quiet for a few moments as they observed their crash location. The environment was dense with tall trees, their branches fanning out in a desperate attempt to find sunlight. The sky was a dull grey from the ground, but the air was comfortable with an occasional cool breeze. No animal like sounds could be heard. Finally, Anakin sighed and spoke up,

"All right, check your comlinks and make sure they work." Everyone did as told, and the silence was interrupted by a series of operational beeps. Overhead, the clouds parted for a moment to let a fleeting streak of sunlight in.

"Good. I think we should divide into twos and search for a base. Once someone has found that base or any base, call in to the rest of us and we'll converge at that point." Anakin ordered, keeping himself very composed. Obi-Wan stepped forward.

"One more thing, keep quiet and stay under cover. The starship that shot us down may return to finish the job." Anakin nodded. His eyes still glanced at the sky every now and again, waiting to see that black ship sail through the sky.

"Right then. Rex and Cody; Kix and Jesse; Echo and Fives; Ahsoka and Motormouth."

"You and I?" Obi-Wan turned to Skywalker.

"Sounds about right." A piece of the ship fell to the ground, startling a few of them.

"Then let's not waste any time." He said. Before they all turned away in different directions, Anakin said,

"Make sure to check in frequently so we know you're all still out there." Fives turned around for a moment.

"Don't worry general, takes more than a couple tinnies to take us down." He said confidently.

"See you on the other side." Echo said softly to Jesse.

"You too."

"May the force be with you master." Ahsoka said to Anakin before leaving his side.

"And you Ahsoka." He said. The Togruta found Motormouth's side as they took to the border of the forest. In the distant were open fields, rivers and hills. Anakin and Obi-Wan turned off and headed for the mountain in the distance.

...

A door behind a large nine screen console opened soundlessly. A big black chair obstructed the center portion of the console. Many of the screens showed parts of the forest, scanning for movement. Two pairs of steel legs moved across the floor to the middle of the room. The room was a freezing temperature, but the only inhabitant had no need for heat.

"Where did you crash their freighter?" a voice even colder than the room inquired.

"Just west of Iyx Mountain, by the woods." A harsh metallic voice said.

"Alert the Directors. Tell them it is time for a pursuit." Without another sound, the two heavy droids exited the room and left the figure to the monitors. With a couple finger taps, the person brought up several cameras in that vicinity. Camera four revealed two clone troopers walking in the thickest part of the forest.

"There you are…" the voice whispered sinisterly before giving a small chuckle.


	9. Not So Alone

_Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

Anakin and Obi-Wan trekked through thick grasslands, trying to reach their decided destination. Kenobi had chosen the mountainside, in hopes of gaining a better vantage as to where they were exactly. If they climbed high enough, perhaps they could see a nearby base, or the others, or even their mystery ship.

The terrain was no chore, fortunately. The mountainside was full of large sturdy boulders, solid dirt, and an occasional tree with no branches until midway up. Using the force made hard work simple. Anakin leapt effortlessly from place to place, occasional turning around to see if anything behind him had changed. The sky was still a dusty, dull grey, but at least it hadn't started raining. The planet was odd. It was so quiet here, with only the wind to fill the otherwise unsettling silence.

"It doesn't make much sense." Anakin spoke over the low wind.

"At least we can infer that the Separatist shuttle means Separatist activity." Obi-Wan replied. Skywalker looked back partially before shaking his head.

"But the starship. I've never seen anything like it. And trust me, I know ships." He said, leaping onto an almost perfectly flat rock.

"Maybe it's new. Maybe it was custom designed. Maybe a lot of things. But we won't know until we can track it down."

"It had purple laser fire. I wonder what that's all about."

"Like I said, we'll find out when we get there."

"Then I'll ask you this," Anakin actually stopped for a moment and turned around, "why did that ship shoot us down, but didn't come back to finish the job?" Obi-Wan's face fell.

"I don't know, Anakin. I know just as much as you about the situation." Both Jedi went quiet for a moment as they focused on the next several steps up the mountain. In the distance, they could swear they heard some sort of whistling, or perhaps it was the wind.

Obi-Wan paused for a moment beside Anakin and looked around, an indiscernible expression resting on his face.

"What's wrong?" Anakin inquired, concerned.

"It's just something commander Cody told me before we boarded the _Twilight._" He spoke.

"What did he say?"

"Cody believes the distress signal is from the missing clones." Obi-Wan stopped moving and crossed his arms, his hand under his chin in thought. A small gale whipped his white robes around his calves. Anakin felt his own robes lash at his legs as well.

"Missing clones?" He repeated.

"He said Master Unduli reported having lost two clones on Alzoc III during a mission. Other clones in the outer rim are vanishing without a trace as well. The numbers are too small to be considered, but enough to be noticed. Some even think it's desertion." Anakin angrily shook his head.

"Clones don't desert."

"I know. This is why Cody believes they are being captured."

"But for what reason and who?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good." The two stood in an eerie windy silence. The air had a faint smell of smoke and oil on it. Perhaps it was just the _Twilight's _wreckage.

Anakin nodded stiffly in thought, and looked back up toward the mountain.

"Are we going halfway or all the way?"

"Just enough to see what's all around us."

"Sounds good."

Their ascent took them midway up the snow crusted mountain. The trees here grew denser and full of bristles rather than those in the plains. As they planted their feet on the ground and scanned the surface of the planet, what they saw surprised them.

"I don't remember the fog being this thick? Do you?" Obi-Wan asked, his face pulled into a concerned expression.

"No. It was clear a moment ago." Anakin curled his fingers in frustration. "What now? Head back down and try to tough it out through the woods?"

"That seems to be the only option now." Kenobi said in a sigh. "At least the descent will be faster." Skywalker raised his comlink up and tried to contact Ahsoka. The line went wild for a moment before going to straight static, then going silent. Both Jedi exchanged unsettled looks. But then, the line came clear.

"Ahsoka? Are you out there?" Anakin spoke into it.

"Yeah, we're still moving around the border of the woods. I saw Kix and Jesse go right into it. It's been awhile since I've heard from them." she said. The Padawan seemed a bit on edge, even over a comlink.

"Have you seen anything so far?" Obi-Wan moved closer to speak to her.

"No. Nothing yet. Although I saw the _Twilight's _wreckage just a little while ago. It might be my imagination, but I could've sworn it moved spots." Anakin shivered, the wind growing more persistent. Motormouth's voice came through on Ahsoka's comlink.

"I doubt it sirs, the freighter crashed near several large boulders. When we saw it again, the boulders were still around." He said.

"Anakin and I went partially up the mountain closest to our crash location. But when we got high enough all visibility went to zero. We can't see much of anything up here." Obi-Wan continued.

"Well wherever our mystery ships went, they must be far, far away from where we crashed." Impatience and irritation coated the Togruta's voice.

"Patience, Snips, we'll find what we're looking for sooner or later." Anakin reassured.

"I hope you're right master." With that, the line went dead. Kenobi looked at him.

"We should get going down the mountain again to catch up with the others. I don't want to be too far away if they need help."

"Agreed." The two began to lightly run down the hillsides, jumping periodically to gain distance. Over the howling wind from running downhill and the gap between them, Obi-Wan shouted,

"I just hope our enemy knows as much of us as we know of them!"

...

The hangar was dark but with bright white lights on only at the entrance. The fog was moving out and burning off as the day got off to a sluggish start. A few powered down ships were left at the back. Most of them hadn't been powered back up in quite some time, and the engines were cold. A loud buzz sound filled the silence and a door opened off to the side. Two pairs of clanking metal legs moved down to the front of the hangar where two speeders were parked. The legs moved past an old broken down corvette, stripped of parts and sheets of metal from the side, a skeleton of what used to be a vulture droid, and a sleek black starship. As the droids walked, one of their communicators sprang to life. They didn't pause as the one with the device answered it. The droid had no time to speak before a voice came through the other side.

"Get your tin cans out there as fast as possible and ensnare me anyone you can! Do you hear me?" A very gruff, mechanical, but still slightly female voice snapped at them. The solid black droid with burgundy markings on its body swung a leg over the seat of a speeder and went to respond.

"Yes director, it will be done." Its voice was as deep as a thunder clap. The other droid, black with bleach white markings looked to the other before starting up its speeder.

"I don't want the twins to have more than they deserve. Such a waste of a good specimen…disgusting." The voice went quieter as it began to talk to itself in growling hisses.

"We'll do our part, director." The droid with white markings said in a female programmed voice.

"Good. And don't forget to jam their communications! I don't need the rest of them knowing what is happening!" The voice stopped right after that and the line went silent. As the two droids were about to depart, the door on the far side opened again. This time, rather than droids, a tall mossy green Trandoshan stepped into the hangar. The reptilian was dressed head to toe in bounty hunter gear, and a long sniper lay over his shoulder, his hand holding the grip of it. Before anything happened, both droids stepped on the gas and sped away into the woods.

_Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

The border of the woods seemed to be endless. Smoke from the _Twilight _had long since disappeared over the trees. The sky seemed to grow brighter through the thick clouds. No other living things had Ahsoka and Motormouth encountered in their travel. Finally, Ahsoka stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What's wrong commander?" her clone inquired.

"I feel like we're going in the wrong direction." She admitted.

"What makes you say that?"

"Maybe it's just the forest. But I feel like we're going in a straight line that never ends." Ahsoka tore herself away from the edge of the forest and moved to the open plain in the other direction. Motormouth turned his head to the plains.

"Jesse, Kix, Echo and Fives went into the forest. If they find anything they'll tell us. If we all go into the forest, we might miss something out here." He said. Ahsoka nodded, but pursed her lips in ambivalence. When she didn't speak, he spoke up again.

"Why don't we walk around the plains for a bit? In this vast area, we're sure to find something on the horizon." This time Ahsoka nodded and looked out onto the plains.

"Looks more like a desert with grass, but all right." Her legs carried her to the grasses. At first, the grass rose to their knees, whispering as the wind whipped through them. But after a couple more steps, the grass was almost as tall as the clone. The fog had burnt off, and some of the clouds were fading to reveal a lavender-blue sky, and a scorching sun. Ahsoka parted the grass in front of her and stepped through the openings she had to make for herself. Motormouth had disappeared from her sight as he walked beside her, the grass glossy and easily camouflaging him. It was easier to spot Ahsoka with her burnt sienna skin and eccentric montrals.

"Motormouth?" she called out softly, worried for a moment she had lost him. The grass to her right parted, revealing him. She flinched.

"Yes commander?"

"Nothing." Her montrals flushed in embarrassment from her quick panic.

"Make sure your communicator is fully functional then. I'd hate to lose each other in the grass." He said, coming back to stand right by her. His arm lifted up as he went to test the comlink. When he did, nothing happened. There was no static on the line, no frequency, no nothing.

"Uh-oh…" he muttered. Ahsoka slowly turned her head to him, her stomach tightening in a rising fear.

"What's 'uh-oh'?"

"I'm not getting any signal on the communicator." He tapped it with his finger, and even switched it on and off. "Nothing."

"Someone must be jamming our signals! We have to be close to them then!" Ahsoka tried her comlink, trying to reach any of the other teams. It was just the same, her communicator had no static, no channels, nothing. Suddenly Motormouth grabbed her arms and yanked her down onto the ground between the grass.

"Get down!" he said in a sharp whisper. Ahsoka went on high alert, listening for whatever it was the clone had seen. Slowly, the commander moved onto his stomach, becoming hard to see with his green markings and the grass swaying around. The padawan imitated him, getting low to the ground. She was the more easily seen of the two. There was no bright orange or red colors out here. She would be easily spotted if she wasn't careful.

"What did you see?" she moved close to him to whisper. His hand went up to silence her. Whatever it was, it had him on edge.

"Two speeders were coming right for the tall grasses. But I don't know if they saw us…" he whispered. Ahsoka closed her eyes and tried to listen since she did not dare to stick her head up. In the distance, right in front of them, she heard the motor humming. No, two motors. There were two speeders heading toward them.

"Should we split up and lead them away from each other, then attack?" Ahsoka suggested. Motormouth tucked his elbows under his ribcage.

"Not a bad idea. But I wish we knew what exactly we were up against."

"I heard two speeders, so there must be two of them."

"But what if there are more?"

"We can't lay on the ground forever. They'll eventually come looking, or at worst, set the grass on fire and smoke us out." Motormouth sighed heavily.

"I still don't like this."

"Then what do you suggest?" Ahsoka curled her fingers into a fist, growing agitated from the lack of movement. He didn't answer. Instead, his head looked down to the ground.

"What's your course of action." He said, defeated. This clone was certainly adamant. He reminded her of Rex, with his ability to think for himself and speak up.

"Split up. We'll lead them away from each other then attack. Once they're defeated, we'll take a look at their transportation. Maybe there's coordinates from where they came from that will lead us back to a base." She said sternly. He finally nodded.

"Yes, commander." He rose to a crouch and took off to the left, disappearing behind the thick grasses. Ahsoka moved as well, but moved off to the right. When she was quiet, she realized the speeders had gone quiet. _Gone? Or just powered down as they take a look around? _Ahsoka wondered.

The padawan moved slowly in a crouch, keeping her head on a constant swivel, and her hand on her lightsaber. All she could hear was the grass swaying in the breeze. Never once did the wind stop. The sky was clear now, the fog and most of the cloud coverage burnt off. The sun shone brightly and the sky was a light periwinkle. Ahsoka froze in place when she heard a crunch in the dirt. Peeking through the grass to her left, she found that the grass was shorter further that way. Beyond that, she saw a tall, steely black B1 battle droid with a vicious looking gun in its right hand. On its body and face were bleach white markings in odd shapes and symbols. The droid was facing away from her currently. _Battle droids! Very modified b1's but it's a droid nonetheless. I guess Skyguy was right, there is Separatist activity here. _She went to go for her comlink, but remembered the signals were jammed. The droid made another crunch in the dirt with its foot as it moved off. Ahsoka gritted her teeth and began to follow, pulling her lightsaber from the belt. She approached it slowly and carefully, keeping right behind the droid so it would not turn and see her coming.

Eventually, she moved out of the grass, and her cover was gone. The droid still did not seem to be aware of the young Togrutan Jedi behind it. _Just what I want. _Ahsoka kept quiet still, her feet barely making a sound. Finally, after a few more steps, she ignited her lightsaber and charged forward, ready to cut it in half. Suddenly, the droid fell to the side and rolled away, dodging Ahsoka's attack. It recovered quickly and withdrew a long glowing orange whip. With a crack of the weapon, the end caught around Ahsoka's lightsaber and the droid yanked it back, throwing her weapon well out of the way.

"If you're going to sneak up on someone, at least carry through to the end." The droid sneered in a- female voice? Yes, she heard correctly, the droid had spoken in a gruff female voice, confusing Ahsoka more. Instead of answering, the padawan back flipped away as the droid went to strike with the whip again. She went for her lightsaber. The droid knew her intention and lunged after it as the Togruta used force pull in an attempt to recover it. The droid's foot came down on the metal hilt as it cracked the whip at Ahsoka again.

"No matter how well you fight, you're just another clanker!" Ahsoka taunted, dashing out of range of the whip.

"That's what you think." The droid retorted. It lifted the small but vicious gun in its right hand. In a moment of panic and anger, Ahsoka directed all her attention toward her lightsaber trapped underfoot of the droid, and pulled it. The lightsaber flew out from under the droid's foot the same time the trigger on the gun was pressed. Everything seemed to move at the speed of a Hutt. And then, Ahsoka felt her lightsaber hit her palm, and she ignited it to deflect the violent blue stream of electricity exploding from the gun. The lightning hit the blade of her lightsaber and ricocheted off up toward the sky. Ahsoka stumbled back from the power of it and glared.

"At least now it'll be more fun to take you down." The droid chuckled. It raised both the gun and the whip, preparing to attack. Simultaneously, the droid fired the electro gun and tried to hit Ahsoka with the whip. The padawan leapt to the side and rolled away from the deadly combo. The whip came at her again much faster. Ahsoka smacked it away with the blade of her lightsaber, the contact sound creating a small short buzz. Instantly, Ahsoka was hit with a brutal shock. Her body was paralyzed as she dropped her lightsaber. It was over as soon as it begun. The padawan dropped to ground with a heavy thud. The droid stood in bewilderment for a moment. But when the Jedi fell, another black droid was standing behind her, its arm outstretched the gun fired. The arm fell as it put away the weapon.

"She was mine to collect." The droid with white markings snarled indignantly.

"We have a job to do." The other droid had a deep voice and crimson markings. "There's no time fool around."

"In case your vision field is damaged again, that was a Jedi I was fighting. Not a simple clone."

"My vision is impeccable. Now let's go. I've already subdued the clone trooper." He said, gesturing to his speeder, where Motormouth was unconscious and slumped over the second seat. A beeping noise came from the deeper voiced droid's wrist. It was a communicator. The droid clicked a button. The voice from earlier came clear.

"Vince, Tris, did you finish the job? The other directors have already sent out their bounty hunters." The voice sounded even more frustrated than before.

"Yes, director. We just found two lurking in the plains. Should we bring them in?"

"Immediately. I don't want to take a risk."

"Yes, director, we'll be there." Vince flipped the communicator off as Tris hoisted Ahsoka's unconscious body onto the speeder.

"We'll take the fifth route back. We won't encounter anyone that way." Vince said as he powered up the speeder and prepared to take off. A crimson symbol under his left eye had chipping paint. Tris tied Ahsoka's wrists to the speeder and powered hers up.

"I'll race you back then." The female droid smirked and took off in a cloud of dust. Vince clenched his fingers around the handles and tore after her. The only evidence left behind was a bunch of kicked up dirt.


	10. One Wrong Step

_Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

Commander Cody pushed down his helmet mounted binoculars for the thousandth time. His eyes scanned the plains and beyond the edge of the woods, yet they never entered it. Rex marched past Cody and gave a heavy sigh.

"You're going to trip if you don't put away those binoculars." He warned, noting the long gangly roots creeping out of the forest. Cody moved his mouth to answer, but stopped before he said anything. Rex noted that silence as well.

"You've been quiet since the _Twilight _crashed. Is everything all right?" The captain paused for a moment.

"Remember what I said to commander Tano on the ship?" Cody spoke softly.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, before we boarded, I was speaking to General Kenobi about my theory. I think that the disappearing clones and the mysterious distress signal are linked." Cody suppressed a shiver as best he could. Rex watched the clone carefully.

"So…you think that the captured clones are here?" he interpreted.

"It's logical. Master Unduli reported two clones missing from her squad on Alzoc III. That's not too far from here. Well, you know what I mean. But she sends them off for recon and they suddenly go off the grid. Can you explain that?"

"No. I suppose I can't. But we know nothing about this planet yet. I think we'll get all our answers in time."

"But what if that's too late?" Cody insisted as they began to move again.

"That's a risk us clones…and Jedi alike take." Rex said. He raised his arm to use the comlink to contact Skywalker. The signal was eerily silent, but eventually he reached the Jedi.

"Rex is everything all right? We've been trying to check in with everyone, but I can't seem to reach Jesse and Kix. Where did they end up going?" Anakin's voice panted, as if he was running.

"Jesse and Kix went into the deep woods. I haven't heard from them since either. And everything is all right, we're just checking in as scheduled sir." Rex kept his eyes moving around the woods. He thought he heard something rustling in the leaves above. Cody was looking right up into the trees. Obviously he had heard it too.

"I'm worried about them. We headed up the mountain for a better view, but it didn't work out. We're coming back down." Another rustle in the leaves prompted them to look up.

"What the hell is that noise?" Cody whispered, leaning over to Rex. The other clone shrugged, but drew a blaster and remained on high alert.

"I can contact Ahsoka and see if she can reach them. Maybe our comlinks are out of range." Cody moved to be back to back with Rex, in case something ambushed them.

"All right, but stay in frequent contact. I'm getting a weird feeling about this place." Anakin's voice cut off right after his sentence. The comlink turned to soft static.

"Rex." Cody said.

"General? Are you still there?" He ignored Cody for a moment as he tried to reestablish connection.

"Rex." Cody said again, mounting fear in his tone. Rex finally snapped his head up.

"What?" Cody didn't answer, but instead he pointed to a clump of leaves high above them. Rex's eyes followed up the trunk of the tree, toward a few recently snapped branches. Two leaves gently began to fall to the earth in a graceful swirling dance with the wind, but the fact that they were falling was unsettling.

"We're being watched…" Cody whispered. Rex drew his second blaster and kicked off the safety. The other clone's finger rested apprehensively over the trigger. High above, the sounds of claws on wood echoed in the vast space. Rex slowly began to turn toward the trees and back away, gently guiding Cody away with him.

"Whatever it is, it's hiding in the trees high above." The captain said, closing off external communications to speak only to the commander.

"Should we fire into the canopy?" he suggested, switching off his externals as well.

"No, that's too brash. Use infrareds, maybe we can see it that way."

"Right." Simultaneously, the clones switched to infrareds and examined the canopy. Slowly a shape manifested, big, and inhuman.

"Damn it Rex! That's a Trandoshan!" Cody hissed.

"Does it see us?" Rex asked. Suddenly, as if to answer his question, the large reptilian plunged down through the trees, its claws scraping on the way down to lessen the force of the drop.

"Shoot it!" Rex demanded. Both clones opened fire as the Trandoshan touched down to the ground. Before it was hit, it ducked behind a tree. Giving a hostile hiss, it drew a net gun, a Conner APNG3 to be precise. It waited for the cease fire before lunging behind another tree to get closer to its targets. The clones moved backwards away from the place it was hiding.

"Move away from each other." Rex ordered, beginning to leave from Cody's side. The other clone looked at him incredulously for a moment before doing as told. Behind the tree, the Trandoshan rose up drew a small blaster, hoping to scatter the two clones and make them seek cover to get them out of the open and closer to him. Leaping out from behind the tree, the Trando fired several shots near Cody's feet, trying to push him further from Rex. In a blur, the reptile dashed off in the commander's direction and fired the net gun directly at its target. Caught by surprise, Cody did little more than stumble back before being ensnared in the electric net.

"Cody!" Rex shouted. None of it mattered, in a split second the other clone fell unconscious to the ground in a flurry of electricity, dropping his blaster and laying in a tangle of net. The Trandoshan turned its focus to Rex. It hissed and its tongue slithered out of its mouth sinisterly.

"One down, one to go." He said.

"Not if I can help it." Rex snarled under his breath. Drawing both of his pistols, he aimed at the reptile and unleashed a barrage of blaster fire. The Trando growled and leapt out of the way, hiding behind a thick tree in order to reload his net gun. Rex stopped firing. He would've rushed to Cody's side, but the fallen trooper was too close to the bounty hunter. He didn't want to be captured as well, then who would rescue them? Rex trained his gun on the place he last went, ready to kill. The woods and plains behind him were eerily silent as he waited. His arms didn't shake. They held fast. Suddenly, the Trandoshan lunged out from behind the tree, merely feet away and pulled the trigger to the net gun. Rex fired at that exact moment. Moving to dodge the net, the clone tucked and rolled to escape faster. The Trando shouted in pain and anger as one of the blaster bolts hit him in the arm.

"You'll pay for that soldier boy!" he snarled, reloading the gun another time. Rex jumped to his feet and fired again, moving closer to Cody. In the distance, a shrill whistle sounded, distracting the reptile for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, the captain fired at its head. Unfortunately, the Trandoshan reacted quickly enough to save its life. Rex's guns clicked as he pulled the trigger, indicating that he was out of rounds. In a single moment, the reptile thundered across the ground toward Rex, skidded on the dirt, and launched the electric net dead center around the clone. The captain had no time between events to react. Everything happened too fast. He dropped his blasters as he became paralyzed. His body dropped to the ground with a thud, going limp. The Trandoshan gave a pleased, fanged grin and activated his communicator. He received a response immediately.

"Yes what is it?" The rather strained voice of a man came through.

"I got your prizes with me." The Trando stated proudly.

"Excellent! Bring them to me at once! I wish to examine them!" the voice grew even more strained as his excitement peaked.

"Yes, boss." He hissed and turned off the comlink. He untangled the clones from his nets and carefully coiled them up for later. Their guns and comlinks went into the small backpack he kept in the woods while stalking them. With the backpack was a large speeder. The clones were quickly placed in the speeder as the whistling in the distance grew louder, and more shrill. He did not wish to be out here longer than necessary. It was a dangerous place full of unsettling beasts. Cody and Rex's wrists were cuffed with binders. The Trandoshan started up the speeder and began to maneuver the deep woods, back to the base.

_Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

Fives and Echo stumbled over black roots jutting out of the dirt. The deep woods proved most difficult. Earlier, they past a gruesome swamp, with scraggly black trees half sunken into murky brown water. Echo swore he had seen movement. Not just one single object, but the trees, the branches, and even the water moved. Fives shook it off as an illusion and the two veered far from the bog to avoid getting stuck in the revolting sludge.

"So what are we looking for again?" Fives spoke, "please remind me." Echo tore his right leg away from a clump of thin, prickly roots that he had stepped in and stumbled back.

"General Kenobi said to look for a base of operations. Or if there's any suspicious activity, report it to them immediately." He replied.

"Right. Now that I'm in here, I regret deciding to conquer the woods." Fives ducked low as a couple clawed branches hung down.

"I can try to contact Jesse and Kix and we can band together. I'd feel less vulnerable if I knew I had them by my side." Echo said, lifting his comlink up.

"What?" Fives drawled, "am I not good enough anymore?" he laughed it off and kept moving. His armored boots sinking in the soft ground. It gave him an uneasy sensation. He always preferred a hard ground beneath him.

"Kix, this is Echo. Can you hear me?" There was a short spell of static. After mere moments, Kix's voice came over the line.

"Where are you two?" Kix asked. "We've been running circles since we entered this blasted forest."

"Um…" Echo looked about for a landmark of some sort. He remembered the thick swamp. "Have you two encountered a thick, black bog yet? We just veered east of it and continued along for about a mile." A stick in the wood snapped and Fives lurched into action. He had his blaster ready to fire as he moved back to back with the other clone.

"No. We haven't encountered a swamp. We've been trekking through pretty rooted ground." He paused for a moment. Before Echo could speak again, Kix suddenly said,

"Have you heard a whistling sound in here by any chance?" The trees above seemed to leer over the two clones sinisterly, almost if waiting for something.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. We heard something whistle early on when we first came in here." Echo moved his free hand to his blaster as Fives's back touched his. The two were tense as the forest became more active.

"Stay where you are. Jesse and I are coming to you." Kix's voice said before the line went dead.

"What's going on here Echo?" Fives said in a low voice.

"I-I don't know…" His voice went even lower. Echo drew his blaster, feeling an oppressive wave of dread creep around them. Suddenly, a shrill whistle emitted from the north. Both clones turned to face that direction. Though the sound was loud, it was faint.

"What was that?" Fives asked. Echo didn't answer, his arms trembled as he held his blaster. Far above Echo in the nearest tree, a small silver tube slid out of a hollow notch in the bark. The small device maneuvered to aim for the clone trooper's exposed neck area. Immediately after locking onto its target, it silently fired a pin with a small bulb on the end. Echo flinched as the needle point pierced the body glove and bit into his skin.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as his fingers clumsily grabbed at it.

"What happened?" Fives grew more defensive as he whipped around to face his comrade. Echo pulled the silver pin from his neck. As he did, the object split into several pieces in his hand

"Echo what was that?" he looked around to find the source. The tiny device in the tree had retracted. In place of it was a camera peering down at the two clones. Diagonal from the tree housing the camera, another device emerged from a crevice in the bark and aligned itself with the erratically moving clone.

"I-I don't feel so well…" Echo's blaster slipped from his grip as he fell to his knees. Fives tried to hold him up as his legs gave out.

"Echo? Hold in there brother!" He let him down on the ground and followed to his knees before trying to contact Jesse and Kix.

"Kix! Jesse! This is Fives. Echo's just been hit with some sort of pois-" The comlink suddenly played back a voice that was not Jesse or Kix's. The hair on Fives's body rose as he listened to a deep, gravely, inhuman voice speak into the comlink.

"You are mine." It said. Echo had fallen unconscious beneath Fives, breathing slowly. For a moment Fives stared in a mounting panic at his comlink. Something had just taken control of it. And he was now alone to face whatever was out here. Another snap in the woods compelled him to grab his blaster. He held a defensive stance over Echo, preparing to defend both of them if he had to. The silver device lined up with the other clone's neck and waited a moment before firing the second needle. Fives flinched violently as he felt a sharp prick in his skin.

"Ow!" he growled, tearing at his neck. The pin shattered the instant his fingers touched it.

"Damn…" he said, his voice growing weaker. Just then, several dark shapes emerged from the thicket. Fives's eyes blurred, as if he was spinning around without pause. He fell to his knees beside Echo as one of the figures approached him. His fingers went numb and he no longer felt the blaster in his hand. Weakly, he raised his head in hopes of seeing his assailants. He had no such luck as his eyes closed on him. The last thing he heard was,

"We have secured the trespassers."

_ Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

Kix and Jesse lightly jogged through the woods. In this part of the woods, the branches did not grow until midway up the tree. Even so, the roots had found their way to the surface as they worked to trip any who dared to pass. Jesse was relieved when they finally escaped that part of the woods and onto the firm ground and brightly colored leaves dusting the earth.

"Where did they say they went?" Jesse asked. Kix answered immediately.

"They said they were near a bog. I don't know about you but I sure smell one. Besides, the woods we just came out of had that shrill whistling."

"Yeah. I'd hate to meet up with whatever was lurking in there." Jesse tapped his comlink with his finger. After they split up his communicator had stopped functioning. It would turn randomly on and start making static noises. Both clones decided as long as they never left one another's side, Jesse could turn it off and rid themselves of the irritating and unsettling noise. Kix moved toward a small incline. Even though it was a small crest, perhaps he could spot something from here. Jesse followed closely. The last thing he wanted was to be separated here with no means of communication. Kix scoffed.

"I can't see anything. The trees are thick."

"Let's just follow the smell of the bog." Jesse suggested. "Eventually we'll find what they were talking about."

"Yeah, but what if we come out on a different side of the bog and go the wrong way? Or what if there's another bog?" Kix stepped down off the incline. A large, rotting stump sat below the hill.

"Maybe we weren't smelling the bog." Jesse gestured to the stump.

"Not the right smell. The stump smells like moisture and earth. The bog should smell rancid and muddy."

"Then we're on the right track." Jesse stepped on a few crunchy leaves as he looped around the hill. Kix turned his back on the other clone for a moment and listened to the surroundings. At least here there was a fresh breeze, and even the sun managed to penetrate the thick leaves. Despite the smelly log, it was more comforting here than any part of the forest they had been, or that had been described to them. He hoped his fellow comrades had better luck than them. Kix raised his comlink to his face. Jesse walked around the stump, sidestepping and walking backwards to look at it. Kix decided to contact Kenobi and Skywalker first. He was eager to know what they had been up to. The comlink turned on for a moment before shutting itself off. _That's weird. _Kix thought, turning it back on. Jesse backed up a few more steps. The comlink turned on for another mere second before shutting off. _Damn it. _Kix tapped it angrily. In the next second, the peace in the forest was shattered as something broke through another, a loud crunch scaring Kix. Immediately after the crunch was a piercing shriek of agony. Kix whipped around to see Jesse- Jesse's left leg standing through a sheet of metal. The sharp edge of the metal was lodged crookedly through Jesse's foot, and through the ankle to the calf. The clone dropped to the ground in a second, shaking in pain and screaming. Blood coated the metal, the armor, his leg and the leaves all around them.

"Jesse!" Kix shouted and sprinted back over, sliding onto his knees beside his brother. Jesse was shaking violently in pain and trauma. The metal was still shoved up inside his leg. Kix glanced at it for a moment. It was a trap. The contraption lifted up. It was a small circle with a sensitive pad that would eject a sheet of metal into anything or anyone who set it off.

"Jesse! Jesse! Can you hear me? You're going to be all right!" Kix reassured to calm them both down. Although his words had little effect. They were alone out here, with no supplies. And this injury would result in nothing but torment even if he survived. Kix froze for a moment. He didn't know whether to wrench the metal out of his leg or try to call for help and wait. Jesse's screams paused only for a moment to catch his breath before going into convulsive sobs. Just when Kix thought it couldn't get worse, a gun clicked behind his head. Slowly, he raised his arms to surrender.

"You should be glad I forgot a trap then." A male voice said behind him.

"Just shut up and bind this one." Another said. Kix grunted as a pair of strong steel hands wrenched him onto his feet. His wrists were clamped into binders and a gun rested by his temple. _Battle droids? _He thought in bewilderment. He wasn't far off. There were four commando droids that circled around the two clones including the one holding Kix. Jesse's bleeding form still lay on the ground. Sobs rocked his body as his injured leg trembled uncontrollably.

"Get that one back to base. We'll take this one too." One droid sporting sergeant markings demanded. He had white lines painted along his chest, legs and around his eyes.

"He won't last long." Another commented. He was bent over Jesse, examining the wound. The third droid came around and hoisted Jesse upwards under the arms. The clone wailed in pain, but didn't fight. Kix jerked in the droid's grip before the threatening click of the gun subdued him. _Don't hurt him! _He wanted to say, but considering his condition…

"Grab him. I'll pull." The droid at his head lifted him up while the droid by his feet took hold of the frame of the trap. Together, they yanked in opposite directions. Kix winced and shivered hearing the slick sound metal sliding out of the cut followed by Jesse giving another agonized wail. _Damn! Damn! _Kix squeezed his eyes shut. The droid holding the trap expertly deactivated it and held it by his side as he and the sergeant moved on. The droid holding Kix dragged him along. Jesse was lifted into the arms of the commando droid holding him. _We're going to die…_Thought Kix.


	11. A New Evil

_Unknown Planet_

_ Unknown Time_

Anakin and Obi-Wan were sprinting across the plains to the closest team's last known location. After they lost contact with all members, panic was hard to suppress. Kenobi had reprimanded Anakin for deciding to separate the company. Instead of the usual bickering, both set aside the unnecessary argument to search for their missing comrades.

The wind had picked up and the clouds returned with a vengeance and plunged the surface world into a shifting darkness as they passed in front of the sun.

"Ahsoka is closest, or at least we can spot her better in the plains." Anakin panted as they dashed across the plains. Sand and dirt was lightly kicked up by their feet. Obi-Wan force dashed to catch up as he fell behind Anakin's frantic speed.

"Have you noticed something odd?" he shouted over the howling wind.

"What?" Anakin shouted back, but didn't halt or turn his head.

"The _Twilight _seems to be missing." At the sound of that, Anakin came to a violent skidding stop as he stared incredulously at Obi-Wan. The other Jedi came to a graceful stop beside him. Skywalker looked at the location he knew they crashed at. There had been several large stones by the crash site. The stones were perfectly intact, and everything was where it should be, except one thing. The _Twilight _had vanished.

"What?" Anakin gasped. The burned streaks in the earth and on the grass remained the same. So did the faint oily smell of the ruptured tanks.

"How did…" Anakin was speechless. Obi-Wan looked on with the same expression of dismay and uncertainty.

"This is a dark place." He said.

"How come we haven't sensed anything in the force then? If this place is so ominous…Why haven't we sensed anything?" Skywalker stared off into the distance.

"Come on, we need to find the others." Obi-Wan insisted. Anakin snapped out of his daze and nodded.

"Right." The two Jedi began to run again. If they moved quickly, they could cover more ground. But, what would become of everyone when night fell? They matched their pace as they ran together. Unexpectedly, the ground gave out beneath them, sending both Jedi falling into a pit in a shower of dirt and leaves. Obi-Wan gasped, Anakin grunted. The fall was stopped short by a large net. Though it was dim, Kenobi took one look before shouting,

"Anakin it's a-" Before the words were out, a crippling shock worked its way up through the netting, into their legs and dominated their nervous systems. Obi-Wan yelled in pain as his body convulsed. Anakin seethed in anger and pain, his fingers curled and locked in place. As soon as it began it was over. The two Jedi collapsed and rolled next to each other on the net, falling unconscious. It was silent. Overhead, the wind picked up fiercely before coming to a stop.

Something crawled up to the pit on long spindly limbs. A large, odd shape peered down. It was a sickening parody of a human. But it wasn't just one. In fact, there were two of them, conjoined at the head by a long fleshy appendage stemming from the temple of either side of their heads. The skin on both was a dark mottled black and violet and was rubbery in texture. The skin was not wet, yet it glistened in the shifting light. The creature on the left had small beady eyes as bright and fierce as a wildfire and small cone shaped teeth filling its wide mouth. The creature to the right had solid black eyes, no shine to them, and tiny square teeth. The creature on the left snorted and snarled through its slit-like nostrils.

"My, brother, what have we here?" its voice was no different than a hissing snake.

"Seems some unwary trespassers have fallen into our trap." The other's voice was deeper, but no more human than the other.

"Pity isn't it…" the left one spoke again, "these aren't clones."

"That must mean the others that arrived in the freighter were the clones we were looking for." The right one spoke. Its long spindly fingers curled into the soft earth below.

"Then what should we do with these?" The left one gazed at the right. "Kahjit?" The use of his name broke the distant stare.

"We'll trade with the Lard Bucket. Surely his Trandoshan bounty hunter nabbed a clone or two. We'll buy one from him." Kahjit spoke. "Now help me Kale."

Kale and Kahjit nimbly crawled down the side of the pit, their long fingers easily gripping the condensed dirt. Kale's fiery eyes regarded the two human Jedi uninterestedly. Kahjit's matte black eyes blinked suddenly as a sharp whistle sounded from far beyond.

"We should move on back soon." Kahjit spoke, lifting either Jedi in his long fingers and handing them to Kale.

"Indeed." He glanced down at the unconscious Jedi in his hands. A twisted giggle emitted from his throat.

"Welcome to Zeres young ones…"

_Zeres_

_ Unknown Time_

From somewhere deep and unknown, something large hummed steadily. The sound was vaguely similar to the roaring engines of the _Resolute. _Through her eyelids, Ahsoka knew a light was flickering above her. The humming did not fool her. She knew she was far from the safety of the _Resolute. _Her body felt weakened, drained almost. Slowly, memories returned to her. She and Motormouth were in the plains. Speeders had approached them, and both set out to discover these strangers. She had encountered a droid. A reprogrammed battle droid had defeated her. _Blast. _She thought to herself, much too weak to even move her lips. The Jedi desperately called the force to aid her, hoping it could help her sense if her clone commander was nearby. A door opened and she flinched involuntarily, regaining her mobility and senses.

"Awake I see." A voice said somewhere around her. Her eyes still refused to open.

"Don't fret. You won't have to be awake much longer." She didn't recognize this voice. It was different to her. The voice was oddly human sounding, but carried a sinister tone of apathy. Ahsoka tried to move her arm. Not even a finger twitched. _No! Don't! _She pleaded. Her lip moved. Something pricked the skin of her arm. It felt like a needle. The pinch was over in a second, and in the next, she plummeted back into a dark cove of unconsciousness.

….

The doors slid open. Another figure emerged from the corridor.

"Doctor, are we ready to proceed?" The approaching figure was taller than the doctor, wearing faded white clothing with no pattern or symbols, and had soft facial features. Its hair was pale blonde in thin wisps around the neck.

"Indeed. I have administered a dose for each of the captives. However, we have encountered a slight discrepancy." The doctor spoke, its voice as apathetic and unconcerned as ever.

"Discrepancy?"

"Indeed. The BX Commandos have returned to us a clone that is fully conscious, and a clone that has a serious injury to his left leg."

"I will inform Regis of this. She is ready to insert the chips into the ones that have been sedated."

"I have the operating table ready. She may begin whenever she wishes to." The doctor turned away to move a tray up to a long, flat metal table. The other figure disappeared through the doorway and lifted a communication device to her mouth.

"Director Regis, we have prepared all necessary means for you to proceed with the operations in surgery rooms one, five and six."

"I am on my way, assistant. I'll start in five. Mogens is oh-so eager to examine his catch."

"Headed there now." The assistant responded as she entered surgery room five. Two flat metal tables stood parallel to one another. On the tables were Rex and Cody, sedated and laying on their chests. On each tray beside the table was a small glass box holding a slim microchip. An attempted forced removal of an installed chip would result in death. They were programmed to release toxins into the bloodstream if someone were to venture too far from Eonin, the immense fortress planted several leagues from Iyx Mountain. The door opened. The assistant turned to see Regis. Calling her a fearsome sight would be an understatement. Regis was constructed mainly of metal, steel, and robotics. Hence forth taking the title, Director of Cybernetic mutations. One side of her head was covered in thick ink black hair trailing down to her elbow. The other side was plated in metal with two prongs protruding. Her eyes had been replaced with large circular sensors capable of seeing anything and everything. The left eye was small and yellow, the other was larger and plated in red. Attached to her spine were four large mechanical arms each equipped with whatever device she required at the time.

"Let us get this over with. I wish to examine _my _prizes as well here." She spoke in a gravely machine voice. The assistant nodded.

"Yes, director." The upper right arm dove down to handle a bottle filled with alcohol. Regis's normal right arm grabbed a small cloth and cleaned the section of skin at the base of Rex's neck. She grabbed the scalpel and very carefully, but expertly sliced down enough to sheath the microchip within. Her left hand grabbed the glass box and uncovered the chip. The bottom right mech arm switched to a very slender head and took the tiny chip, pressing into the spine and under the skin. It activated the chip and withdrew. Pressing the skin together, Regis took a tiny rectangular bottle and sprayed it at the incision. Immediately, the skin joined together again and regrew as if no cut had existed. The assistant cleared away all dirtied materials.

"Onto the next. And the next seven after that." Regis muttered moodily. The assistant left the room.

"I'll inform Mogens they are ready." She said as the director moved onto Cody.

….

"Interesting." She said.

"How do we proceed now?" The assistant inquired, her fingers gently holding the box with the chip. Regis lifted Ahsoka's rear montral. The Togruta was unconscious lying face down on the steel table. Her boots, belts, lightsaber and even padawan braid had been removed and placed into a small plastic tub.

"Well, it will not kill her, but I can place it in her wrist. My only concern is it sliding around under her skin. Even so, it will release the toxin as dictated. But it will not kill her immediately."

"Indeed." The assistant rolled Ahsoka onto her back and exposed her left wrist. Regis repositioned herself to the other side of the table in order to continue with the surgery. On the table to her right was Motormouth, sedated and his surgery already completed. He had been stripped of his armor down to the body glove for an inspection.

Regis resealed the flesh together and tossed away the ruined surgical tools.

"Take her to zero dash zero. Then return back to pick up the clone." She ordered. The assistant nodded wordlessly. In her arms, she scooped up the limp Ahsoka and exited the surgery room. Regis pressed a button with a mech arm and the steel table Ahsoka had been placed on sank into the floor and was covered by a steel plate. Expertly, the arms swung about the space, clearing away and cleaning the room. Regis lifted a small vial of blood that she had taken from Motormouth. Indeed, being a clone his blood would surely match everyone else's. But experiments had to be made. The clone breathed slowly, unaware of the menace lurking within the same room. The door to the surgery room opened. A different figure approached. He was tall and slender. His skin appeared scaly and was a mottled grey. Across the eyes was a thick rectangular lense. And the creature's lips did not cover his narrow teeth.

"Evening, Rallus." Regis spoke without turning.

"Evening to you as well." He spotted Motormouth on the table. "Ah, what a beautiful specimen you have here." He glided across the floor beside the table. His fingers gently gripped the clone's chin as he turned his head about to examine him.

"Hands off. You have yours." Regis warned, closing a surgical drawer.

"Yes, however one of mine has been critically injured."

"I'm aware. What would you have done with him?" Rallus thought for a moment.

"It is his left leg, near his shin. I was planning on amputating it. But now that I think of it, better to harvest his organs now and let him perish. It would be more efficient rather than waste supplies mending him."

"It could. But Tarnus could slice that leg off and cauterize it in a few minutes if you let him." Regis finished cleaning the surgery room and turned to face him. Motormouth's head had slumped down against his shoulder in his sedation.

"Yes," Rallus said slowly, pondering the options, "I suppose he could."

"Not often we can ensnare clones, as far away as we are." Regis continued. "You should savor him, rather than throw him to the grinder." The surgery door opened, halting any more debate. Regis's assistant stepped forward.

"Should I take him down to zero dash zero as well?" though her arms were spindly, she was capable of carrying eighty kilograms worth of human.

"Yes, might as well. I'll examine him tomorrow, when he is conscious enough to respond to the tests." Regis crossed her real arms and leaned against the counter. Rallus laced his fingers together. The assistant nodded and lifted the clone into her arms. His dead weight shifted around out of her control for a moment before she had a grip on him.

"Before I forget," Regis spoke again, "the cold storage for the back room in zero dash zero is still functional, correct?"

"Indeed it is."

"It still effects the whole detention center?"

"Correct."

"Good." With that last remark, the assistant carried the clone away. Rallus rubbed his skeletal chin.

"You know that Kahjit and Kale managed to bag themselves two Jedi?" Regis adjusted the rim to her left eye socket.

"I'm aware." She tightened the rim until it refused to go any more.

"What is to be done with the Jedi? We do not operate with such a specimen."

"Looks like the Howitzers will have to relinquish their catch to the Warden. A case as special as that will not just slide by." Regis chuckled haughtily.

"It pleases you to see them lose a prize?" It was more a statement than a question.

"It does, though not as much as watching Mogens losing a catch." She gave an exaggerated shudder of disgust before a twisted smile appeared on her face.

"Indeed." A moment of silence passed before Rallus floated across the room. "I will see you at a later time then." He vanished from sight through the door, Regis watching with her night vision lense until he turned a corner. Once he was gone, she gave a scoff.

"Imbecile."


	12. Sinister Desires

_Zeres_

_ 0-0_

The air was dry and cold. Colder than anything she could remember. Perhaps even as cold as Hoth. Ahsoka peeled herself off the ground and opened her eyes. She was surprised that there was no snow on the ground. However, there was a small patch of frost just to the left of her. Suddenly her eyes sprang open as wide as space itself. _T-this place! This cold! Is this my dream? Or is this real? _Panic slowly devoured her as she looked about. The cell was even the same. It was made of dull concrete, but instead this time there was a nearly transparent blue ray shield holding her in. Slowly, she crept forward to touch the shield. Her fingers hit the solid object blocking her escape. Fortunately, the shield did not electrocute her like so many she had encountered before. Looking past the shield, she noticed a cell across from her, also with a shield engaged. A clone lay in that cell. A clone with orange markings.

"Cody?" she whispered. Suddenly, something shuffled beside her, making her flinch and gasp. Her eyes darted to that spot where she saw Motormouth lying on his side in just his body glove.

"Motormouth?!" Ahsoka choked out, scrambling on her hands and knees over to him. At the sound of her voice, he forced himself to rouse from his troubled sleep. His eyes fluttered.

"Ah-Ahsoka…"

"Shhh, I'm here. How are you feeling?" she inquired, concerned and even a little afraid. He struggled to sit up, feeling groggy from sedation.

"Like I've been hit with a barge." He responded. Ahsoka frowned and helped him sit against the wall.

"Where are we?" she asked. The clone grimaced.

"I was hoping you'd know." Ahsoka shook her head. She pointed to the cell across from them.

"Cody is there, and that's all I know." She looked down at herself. Her boots were gone, and her belt, her lightsabers.

"They even took my padawan braid." Ahsoka stated, running a hand down the montrals it had been on. Motormouth gazed at her, shaking from the cold, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. She was shivering just as much.

"Is their plan to kill us with cold?" he jeered grimly. She frowned again.

"I don't like this place. There's something seriously wrong."

"The fact that we had our butts' kicked by two battle droids is still on my mind."

"About that," she began, "when I fought one of the droids I noticed it was much more different than the standard. This was one reprogrammed and modified to serve as an assassin."

"I see that." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. Ahsoka bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about after that, but before this. She knew there was a small event in between now and the droid encounter. It was sounds, but not sight.

"Y-you know…before I woke up here…I woke up earlier, but I couldn't see, or move." She whispered. Motormouth listened silently, his fingers still rubbing his neck. "I heard someone speaking to me. Such a sinister an unemotional voice…"

"Was it a droid?"

"No, the voice was someone organic. I could tell that much. But before I could do anything, they must've sedated me again. I can't remember anything between those events." Motormouth shivered harder, not from the cold.

"When Cody wakes up…or stops doing what he's doing," the commander stared at Cody from across the room, "we'll ask him what he knows. Okay?" he tried to reassure her. Ahsoka's head drooped down. The whole situation conjured a dark cloud in her mind, and her stomach felt like it was full of fluttering insects.

"Okay." She finally said. Her body was trembling beyond her control. Motormouth watched her. Protectively, he wanted to move closer and hold her. There would be enough heat generating from their bodies to keep them somewhat comfortable. And yet he was hesitant about her reaction. What would she do? Most of Ahsoka's back and arms were exposed and her feet. She could lose a lot of heat. She kept shivering in front of him. Before he could do or say anything, Ahsoka crawled away back closer to the ray shield and lay down, facing it. Her arms hugged herself. _I should rest then. _She thought. _I'll wait here until Cody wakes up. Then ask him what is going on…where's Rex? And Skywalker? And Obi-Wan? _Her body shuddered violently as a gust of frozen air drifted from a vent in the wall. An odd sound carried through with that wind, something she could not identify. Her hands rubbed up and down her arms, trying to warm them. Shuffling behind her did not startle her until she felt him right behind her.

"Commander, it is my duty to protect you, even from the cold. So that is what I'm going to do." He said calmly. Ahsoka's head turned to watch him as he slid up behind her, pulling her back against his warm chest as he laid down against her. Her face suddenly felt rather hot, and her montrals flushed.

"C-c…" she lost her voice. His chest was very warm, and her frozen back welcomed the warmth eagerly. _What is he…_Slowly, he slipped his right arm underneath her and wrapped it back around her waist. The other arm crossed her chest and cupped her right shoulder. He laid his head down awkwardly near hers, avoiding the pointed montrals. What once was cold was now hot from the close contact. Ahsoka held his arms and remained tense, a little violated from the action. Their combined heat kept the two reasonably warm.

"Th-thank you Motormouth." She whispered, still quite flustered by his bold move. He smiled behind her.

"It's not a problem. I don't know how long we'll be down here. But when someone comes for us, I'd like to be warm enough to fight them off." He said softly, though his tone was fierce. She nodded, her fingers gripping his arms, finding comfort in them. Motormouth gradually began to relax behind her, once she had stopped adjusting herself. Ahsoka sighed and tried to squeeze her left arm under his to warm it. He moved to accommodate her.

"Where do you think the others are?" she asked. It was eerily silent, and the only sound was the soft hum of the ray shield.

"I couldn't tell you. But I am sure they are nearby." He replied. Ahsoka nodded subtly.

"I'm sure too. And we'll escape from here. Once we know how." She whispered, her eyelids growing heavy. Motormouth gave a hum of acknowledgement, and seemed to be drifting off behind her. Ahsoka closed her eyes, but didn't go to sleep. Instead, tried to search with the force. _Skywalker…. where are you? _

…

Ahsoka flinched awake as a loud bang startled her. Her eyes shot open and she looked around. Everything was the same; the cells, the shield, Cody sleeping, Motormouth holding her closely to keep her warm. The clone commander did not stir from his sleep. Voices floated down the corridor.

"Keep moving dog." A robotic voice growled.

"Blasted clankers!" Ahsoka stiffened. That voice. That was Rex for sure! Slowly, she slipped out of Motormouth's hold and sat up, trying to see which way they were coming from. The right of the corridor had been flooded with light from another room. Shadows obstructed the light as they moved closer. Sure enough, she recognized Rex by the armor as he was forcefully pushed and dragged by two commando droids. Behind her, she heard Motormouth stir. He propped himself up on an elbow.

"Is that the captain?" he inquired apprehensively. Ahsoka watched as the droids deactivated the cell shield holding Cody and shoved Rex in there with him. Lightning quick, the shield was reactivated. Rex stood aggressively until he noticed his fallen comrade.

"Cody?" he whispered quietly and knelt down to shake him. The droids stared for a moment more before walking off and leaving the detention zone. The light vanished along with the droids and racket. Motormouth moved into a sitting position.

"Rex!" Ahsoka called out, grateful for another conscious friend. The captain flinched, then immediately spotted her from across the hall.

"Ahsoka? Are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked quickly, evidently concerned.

"I'm all right, cold, but fine. What happened to you? Where were you?" Ahsoka pressed her forehead against the shield, along with a hand, wishing she could reach him. Motormouth leaned forward.

"How is the commander? He hasn't moved at all." He demanded. Rex scooted back and removed Cody's helmet to examine him. Cody's eyes were squeezed shut, a pained expression on his face.

"He seems fine. Still asleep, but fine." Rex reported back, his voice growing a little softer now that he had three familiars in such proximity.

"That's good." She shivered, her back and body once again exposed to the chilling air. Rex removed his helmet.

"Damn! It's freezing in here!" he exclaimed.

"We know." Ahsoka said. "You might want to put Cody's back on too." Rex put both the helmets back on. His body glove and armor gave him significant protection against the cold.

"How long have you been here?" Rex asked. Ahsoka shrugged.

"I can't tell down here. Have you seen the others? Skywalker? Kenobi? Any of them?"

"I've only seen you three since we split up at the shuttle crash." He answered.

"Chances are since us four are here, then so are the others." Motormouth added. Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut.

"I can't feel the force here…I don't know why, and I don't like it." She whispered. He nodded.

"We haven't even seen what we're really up against yet. I doubt a couple reprogrammed droids could be this organized on their own." Rex leaned against the wall, watching Ahsoka and the other clone commander. Cody's finger twitched.

"I hope he wakes up soon." Rex muttered, turning to glance at Cody.

"I hope we find out where the others are soon," Ahsoka said again, "If we're down here, then where's the rest of us?"

_Zeres-Eonin_

_ Operating Room_

The light was blinding. All around him he heard the sounds of metal on metal and sinister yet soft voices. Suddenly the light seemed to intensify and he squeezed his eyelids shut so hard they hurt. Pain racked his body. He felt his left leg quivering as he lay.

"Shall we begin then?" A deep voice different from the others inquired. The light moved away and Jesse's eyes shot open. The room was bleach white, the floors, walls, ceiling, counters, everything. Three strange people wearing identical beige aprons and empty helmets stared at him from the foot of the operating table. Jesse had been stripped of everything. The only thing he had was an ugly puce colored surgical sheet from his waist to his calves. He gasped at his left leg. It was a slaughtered mess of flesh and bone, the bottom of his heel had been split through up several inches, shattering his ankle completely. Without giving it a single thought, Jesse let out a scream of panic, horror and pain. He tried to shoot up into a sitting position, but something held him back. His eyes darted to his wrists. Thick black bonds tightly held his wrists down to the table, and another one on his uninjured ankle.

"Do not do that again." The voice said. Jesse found the source. It was an odd, tall being with a sickening visage.

"We're ready to anesthetize him, Rallus." One of the figures at the end of the table said.

"Do it quickly. I want to remove that leg as soon as possible. Rallus lifted a long, thin automatic saw attached to a small motor.

"Cut it off!?" Jesse shrieked in panic. The tall creature ignored him as two doctors approached him with a face mask.

"No!" Jesse screamed again. Abruptly, one of the doctors grabbed his head and held it still as the clone tried to thrash about. Rallus gave an appeased chuckle.

"I do enjoy the pitiful struggles." He walked around to Jesse's injured leg and secured it down at the knee. The other doctor forced the mask onto Jesse's face, forcibly keeping him still throughout the time. The clone shivered as he breathed in a strange air. _I don't…I don't want to…die…like this. _The doctors watched his heart rate and his signs to see when he was 'out'.

"Ah this is one grotesque injury." Rallus commented as if he were discussing something as mundane as the weather.

"The BX commando stated that he was ensnared by a leftover metal trap." One of the doctors supplied an answer. Rallus nodded.

"That'll do it." Jesse felt his body grow weaker, and the voices around him slurred into indiscernible garbles. His eyes closed and opened again, afraid of what they would do while he was asleep. Rallus examined the foot, twisting and turning it gently. It didn't matter how hard he turned the leg, Jesse could scarcely even feel his own body. With one deep breath, his eyes closed and he gave in.

"Stubborn little clone." A doctor commented. Rallus waited for a few minutes.

"Doctor, when I cut the foot off, I want you to immediately cauterize it or he'll bleed out." He ordered.

"Yes, Director."

"Well then, let's get this party started." He said, flipping the saw on and pressing it against the calf.

…..

Fives flinched and his leg kicked.

"Ow…" someone groaned. The clone pulled his body up from the ground, failing the first attempt as he fell back against a durasteel floor.

"E-ech…" he tried to speak.

"Fives?" someone's voice weakly called out. This time, Fives gritted his teeth and hauled himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall behind him. The room was small and kept the same metallic design for every surface. Echo was lying at his feet. Evidently when he kicked, he had kicked Echo's shoulder blade.

"Echo. Are you all right?" Fives asked.

"I guess. I feel like there's a Hutt sitting on me…is there anything on me?" Echo asked in a strained voice.

"No. There's nothing." Fives tried to think of what happened before this.

"Must've been the thing we were shot with out in the forest. It was a sleeping drug. It must be wearing off."

"I guess a side effect is paralysis."

"Can you move?"

"Barely."

"Just wait it out. It goes away pretty quick." Fives reassured. The clone sat in the eerie silence of the small square room. Faintly, they could hear what sounded like a giant engine humming. There was a door in front of them. It was easily missed since it kept the same pattern of steel the rest of the room had. Fives looked down. He noticed that both of them were in just their body gloves. _How did I miss something that obvious? _Fives sighed. Eventually, he felt control return to his limbs as he helped Echo sit up with him.

"Where are we? Where are the others? Do you think they're here?" Echo asked, sitting nervously and hugging his legs.

"I don't know. And I don't like it." Fives kept his eye on the door and his ears open for any sound.

"Someone will get us right? We won't be stuck in here to starve to death?" Echo chatted anxiously.

"When they do, they'll get more than they bargained for with this clone." Fives said gruffly. Echo said nothing, but nodded and leaned against the wall. Both of them wanted to continue speaking, but did not know what to say. They could spend minutes, or hours, or days theorizing what sort of enemy they were up against. Bounty hunters, violent natives, Separatists, or something even more sinister.

…

"One million then!" A voice snapped.

"I will not give away one of my catches Kale!" a thick voice said back. Kahjit cracked his knuckles out of boredom from hearing his brother and Mogens argue over the speaker system. They'd been at it for twenty minutes.

"Just one of them! Damn it! I'm not asking for the pair!"

"I have not even seen my prizes yet. Back off or I'll let my hound loose you!"

"I'm not afraid of Nefara. Her teeth may be as long as swords, but know that hound hates fire." Kale seethed through his tightly clenched teeth. Kahjit looked into the eerie eyeball shaped camera watching them. Mogens hid in a climate controlled room and never left. Beyond the tightly sealed doors was a dark, hot and moist environment fit for a variety of amphibious species.

"Maybe if you didn't massacre yours, you'd still have some left to enjoy." Mogens boomed. "Don't you still have the pregnant one in zero dash zero? Your gloriously idiotic idea of trying to breed a black eyed tapeworm inside them?" Kale's face smashed against the wall in irritation, yanking Kahjit along for part of the ride.

"Easy brother." He warned.

"We've been left out of this hunt then. The warden confiscated our useless Jedi." Kale grumbled moodily. He lifted his head again to the microphone to speak.

"We can have communal rights over one…"

"I will not tolerate damaged property!" Mogens shrieked, disgusted. Kahjit chipped a nail and began tearing off the hanging part.

"What do you want for just one clone?" Kale groaned loudly. Mogens went quiet for a moment. Both brothers grew attentive.

"Well, now that I think of it. That one million will pay off this blasted Bounty Hunter I hired." He spoke. "That one is a deal. I'll trade you one for one million." Kale shuddered in sadistic glee.

"I'm pleased we've reached an agreement." He said sickly sweet. Mogens turned off the camera and speaker. Kahjit gave a sideways glance.

"You got what you wanted, now shall we go?"

"Indeed brother." Kale walked alongside his brother, the fleshy appendage linking them dangling between their shoulders.

"I wonder if Mogens has put on weight. And that's why we haven't seen him in months." Kahjit sneered.

"Maybe he's grown so fat he can't move off that cushion." Kale added. The two gave wheezing laughs and disappeared out of the wing.

"Next stop, freezer!"


	13. Foreboding

_Zeres _

_ Eonin-0-0_

Ahsoka had crawled back into Motormouth's arms. It didn't take long for the frigid air to affect her again. His chest and arms felt like a haven compared to the brute cold. He didn't fall asleep this time around. His head laid against hers as his eyes looked straight ahead, at Rex. Rex had glared back for a long time from behind the cover of his helmet. After a while, he huffed audibly and turned his back on them, tending to the still oddly unconscious Cody. _I wonder what has Rex agitated. _Ahsoka thought, her eyes only half-closed. _He is overreacting if he's upset about this arrangement over here. _She theorized it was because Motormouth was holding her in such an intimate way, even if his only intention was to protect her. Rex was usually the one protecting her. Perhaps that was it, he felt like she didn't need him any longer, even if that was untrue. She gave an unintentional shiver.

"Sorry, this is the best I can do." Motormouth whispered in regards to her shudder.

"It's fine. It's just…everything else." She pushed her back into him slightly.

"I know." He went quiet for a moment. "We _have _to get out of this prison area."

"No one gets out of here." A voice that belonged to neither of them spoke. Ahsoka flinched as her clone commander tensed in surprise.

"Who's that?" Ahsoka called out louder, moving to lean on her elbow on the rough ground. The prison area was oppressively quiet, if there were others in here; they no doubt heard their earlier conversation. But why hadn't they spoken up before?

"I'm in the cell next to yours. We cannot see each other." As the voice spoke more, she identified it as clone trooper's voice.

"Explain yourself trooper." Motormouth rose to a kneel. "Who are you, and what do you know about this place?" he demanded. The voice went quiet for a longer period.

"I'm Cole."

"What do you know about this place? Where are we?" Ahsoka joined the interrogation again.

"Too much, and too little." Cole said bitterly. Motormouth gave an impatient scowl. The first time they are spoken to by someone who knows something and they decide to answer in riddles.

"For start, you're in Eonin, so they call it, on the planet Zeres." Cole spoke again before either had to probe again.

"Eonin?" Ahsoka mouthed.

"Who are they?" Motormouth pressed. A heavy sigh emitted from the cell next to them. This new discovery had caught Rex's attention as he spun around to see if he could locate this mystery clone in the adjacent cell. The captain spied the clone. He was resting with his back against the force field. He was marked in red and white. But something seemed odd. Rex leaned for a better view. Then he saw it. Cole's left leg was tucked under him, but his right…his right was laid straight out. There was no white armor on his leg, or a human leg for that matter. In place of it, there was a slender and rusty B1 droid leg mended into his femur midway up.

"Trooper! If you know something, tell us." Rex joined the strife as well. Cole didn't move from his hunched position.

"I don't _have_ to tell you anything, _captain,_" he said acidly. "In here, we're all just experiments for the Directors. Your rank means nothing." Rex pulled away from the force field and clenched his fists.

"There must be some way out of here!" Ahsoka cried sharply.

"Listen kid, no one gets out of here. We've been trying for months. The only one who's ever escaped is Merlo."

"And where's he now?"

"Across from me right here, with the back of his ankles sawed through." The Togruta shuddered, and for the first time, she leaned close to the force field to see what he meant. Through the semi-transparent field, she could see a clone sitting in a cell across from where Cole allegedly was. She could not see in any great detail of the condition of his ankles, but he was wearing mainly white armor, with only sparse decals. He was curled up against the wall, refusing to speak at all. Motormouth shuffled close to the force field.

"You said 'experiments' sergeant?" He waited for Cole to answer. He was met with a silence. When no confirmation came, he continued to speak, "what do you mean by experiments?" Another silence. Finally, Cole said,

"I've been here for three months. In that time, I've learned that there are five directors. Each one has a certain field of expertise. I'm under the Cybernetic Mutations division. This means my body is subject to removal of limbs and in place of them are droid parts. She'll do more than that, but, her latest two experiments have resulted in death of the victim. She has been hesitant to proceed, fortunately." Rex, Ahsoka, and Motormouth were silent. Neither knew what to make of this. Eventually, Ahsoka said,

"Who's _she_?"

"Regis. The Head of Cybernetic Mutations. She conducts the surgeries."

"Surgeries?" Motormouth was brought out of his dazed silence, still trying to make sense of this sadistic operation.

"She's one of the worst to be under. At least two of them bring a swift end to this hell." Cole muttered.

"What are the other two?" Rex inquired, curious and even a tinge apprehensive.

"Slavery. The other is the worst above Regis. They are an organic mutations and disease division…" the surly sergeant quivered and trailed off, as if recounting a horrid memory. "Just ask Bolt. Who's been impregnated by them with a black eyed tape worm. Should be any day now, and they'll have to extract it." The prison area was deathly silent with the exception of the faint humming of the ray shields.

"How do we know who we belong to?" Ahsoka felt compelled to ask, none of the options sounded pleasant. Two of the divisions brought death, while the other three were torment. And she wished to avoid the topic of the alleged 'pregnant Bolt'.

"If you don't know now…you'll know in time." Cole answered. Rex gritted his teeth and curled his fingers into fists. He wanted to shout at Cole, but he was at a loss for words. Ahsoka shuddered with Cole's answer. To sit around here and wait until she was picked to be tortured was torture itself. She rose up to her feet, attracting both clones' attention.

"What are you doing?" Motormouth asked. Ahsoka shushed him. He complied reluctantly. She was still his commander. Ahsoka closed her eyes and took a few deep calming breaths. _Feel…feel with the force. There must be something I can do to deactivate these ray shields. _Gradually, she felt herself grow lighter, probing with the force around the detainment area. _I don't think they've done anything to subdue the force…I still can use it. _She thought of the force-resistant collars, or cuffs that had been used on her in the past. If something was preventing her now, she sure didn't feel it. The loud sound of a door swishing open and a deactivating ray shield pulled her from her thoughts. Motormouth leapt to his feet, ready to fight if need be. No voices drifted down the corridor. Instead, they watched as a towering Trandoshan appeared in front of Rex's cell. Rex slowly rose to his feet. _No…_Ahsoka shivered. The Trando wordlessly lifted his hand to the small console and entered a code. The azure ray shield vanished.

"What are you doing?" Rex demanded in a low, warning tone. The Trando snaked his tongue out and tasted the air. He recoiled as if he caught whiff of something foul.

"If you resist me, I'll tie you up and drag you to the destination." He held a blaster firmly in his hands. Despite the spoken threat, Rex believed the Trando would sooner shoot him then waste time tying his limbs together. The captain sighed. Unarmed, he knew trying to take down this six and half foot-tall reptile holding a blaster and a bad attitude wouldn't be worth it. Slowly, he withdrew from the cell. The Trando reactivated the shield.

"Good choice." It hissed in a dark tone. Ahsoka pounded her fist on the shield separating them.

"Rex, don't go!" she cried. The Trando turned its slitted eyes toward her. His arm pushed Rex ahead, the blaster trained at the back of his head.

"Don't fret," it growled. "You'll soon join the others." He gestured to the door opposite the way he came, the one at the end of the corridor. Ahsoka's eyes flicked to it. It was sinister and had no ray shield on it.

"Rex!" she cried again. The Trando cackled and shoved Rex out the door, sealing them off from the prison area. "Rex!" she cried louder. Motormouth reached out a hand to take her shoulder, but hesitated. In the end, he let his arm fall back beside him. Ahsoka's heart fluttered and raced in anxiety. Suddenly she remembered Cole.

"Cole! Sergeant Cole!" She called out.

"I'm right next to you. No need to yell." He reprimanded.

"Did you see the Trando? What Director is that?" She demanded, ignoring his complaint. He scoffed loudly.

"The Directors themselves never come down here." Ahsoka clenched a fist, her fingernails pinching her skin.

"The Trando!" She gritted her teeth. "Who does he belong to?"

"The Trandoshan…. Director Mogens."

"And what division is that?" Ahsoka felt her throat close up. Her head felt as if it were full of air, and her body stuck in carbonite. She was faintly aware of Motormouth right behind her. The silence was deafening, and then, Cole said,

"Slavery."


	14. Trepidation

_Zeres_

_ Eonin JP-1_

The air was heavy with electrical pulses. Anakin felt as if he were on some sort of water craft undulating up and down with the waves. The sensation was mildly hypnotizing. However, in this circumstance, it made him more wary. The Jedi kicked out a leg only to have it go through the air. _I must be hanging from somewhere. _He thought as his mind gradually cleared away the muggy sensation of forced sleep. He was faintly aware that his arms were raised above him and secured. Eventually, he was able to open his eyes enough to see his feet dangling a foot so off the floor. _Great. This is a familiar situation. _He thought humorlessly. The thick, drowsy feeling abated and Anakin's eyes were wide and alert. He was indeed hanging from a steel contraption in the ceiling that secured him with a large electrical current. _Where's Obi-Wan? _He wondered. As if reading his mind, a voice startled him.

"Anakin, where are we?" The familiar voice was behind him. The younger Jedi arched his head back and caught sight of Kenobi's gingery hair and his dirt covered robes.

"That's what I'd like to know. What happened?" Anakin squirmed a bit, trying to place a foot on the ground beneath him. He was too high up to reach.

"We fell in that pit near the mountain and were electrocuted." Obi-Wan supplied the last known memory.

"My lightsaber is gone."

"So are our comlinks."

"We have to get out of here and find the others." Anakin thrashed in increasing anger and anxiety. A small shock rode down his spine and he grimaced in pain.

"Don't move too much. I've already tried that." Obi-Wan said.

"At least this way we were taken to _them._" Anakin growled, insinuating the black starship and Sheathipede shuttle they had chased hours earlier.

"If we stay calm someone will eventually come to us and we can devise a plan to escape."

"No one escapes Eonin." A hard, cold voice interrupted that was neither of them. Both Jedi flinched.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Anakin demanded. He spied a small camera at one corner of the room. The voice seemed to be emanating from a speaker on it.

"You speak directly to the Warden, Jedi. And welcome to, as I previously mentioned, Eonin. I apologize for this rude introduction, but trust me, it's better we meet this way." As the cold voice spoke, they could hear that it was a male on the other side. A very sinister undertone rumbled just under the words. Anakin went to demand where the others were, but held his tongue this one time. Perhaps the others were not in the same predicament. The last thing he wanted was to give their captors that information and compromise Ahsoka and the clones.

"Why are we here? Surely we can talk this out." Obi-Wan tried in a convincing voice. The cold voice gave a curt laugh.

"No, Jedi. There is no way out of this. After all, it is evident you did not blindly wander to this extreme arm of the galaxy. So, you must know something. And that I cannot let pass through unpunished. It is the same to your little friends-" Anakin's mind darkened in a second and curled his hands into fists. _Don't let him see. Don't let him know. _Obi-Wan kept composed despite how much it hurt. "They will suffer the consequences." The voice was quiet for a moment. Very faintly, both Jedi could hear something or someone else speaking near the microphone. "We'll be in touch." With that, the voice ended. And did not return.

"Obi-Wan-"

"Not now, Anakin." Obi-Wan snapped. He waited as Anakin bit back anger. "They can hear us speaking. It's not safe." He nodded and closed his eyes. _They have Ahsoka and the others already. _His fingers were tightly curled into fists. _Stay calm. Do as Obi-Wan says. This is already a bad situation and we don't need it to get worse. _He knew Obi-Wan could probably feel the anger emitting from him, but right now he did not care. _The moment I have a chance…_His thoughts danced on opportunity. _We're stuck in this electro-current. And as far as I know it looks like no one is going to enter this room. _The air was now heavy with anger, fear, and thicker with uncertainty. _Our hope lies with Ahsoka now. I just hope she can pull through for us. For all of us._

_ Zeres_

_ Eonin 0-0_

It had been hours since Rex was taken away. Ahsoka had actually began to sweat as she paced around the cell. Motormouth sat in the center of it to avoid being run over by her. As she paced, her arms and legs trembled in fear. _Slavery…Slavery…._ Cole's heartless voice echoed in her mind ceaselessly. _What kind of slavery? Labor slave? _Her mind frayed down several different paths. _It doesn't matter what kind! Slavery is evil no matter what kind. _Motormouth got to his feet. Ahsoka nearly bumped into him. She veered away, never looking anywhere but the ground.

"Ahsoka." He said softly, reaching for her.

"No." She shivered, avoiding him.

"Ahsoka, please look at me." He gently held her arms. Her eyes gradually made their way up to his. The clone was tired, hungry, and uncertain. And yet, he kept his composure and strength which glowed from behind his eyes.

"This is not the end." He whispered to her, "we can endure and persist. And we will escape this hell." His voice dropped lower so no one but them could hear. Cole's sardonic and ridiculing nature would cause Motormouth to lose Ahsoka. She nodded. Her soft face was pulled in a worried and somber expression.

"I'm afraid for the rest of them." She mouthed. Abruptly, she slipped her arms tightly around him and pressed her face into his chest. Motormouth tensed in surprise and a small blush appeared on his cheeks.

"I know." He muttered and rested his hands on her arms. A loud shifting sound frightened them both. They glanced to see Cody finally stirring awake.

"Cody!" Ahsoka called out urgently and yanked away from the clone. The other commander struggled to sit up and move.

"Commander are you all right?" Motormouth joined her at the force field as they watched him. After a few minutes Cody had moved to sit up and was looking at them. His helmet covered his face.

"What is this place? Where are we? Where did Rex go?" The questions came out faster than either expected.

"Well, we're not sure- wait how did you know Rex was here? You were asleep." Ahsoka answered. Cody shook his head.

"Damn it's cold in here." He commented. "No, I wasn't asleep…I know what happened before this…" He took moments between sentences. Ahsoka and Motormouth were pressed against the force field, eager to know what he knew. "It was a surgery…. I think at least. All I know is that I woke up while they were around me and I was on a table. There was a fight and they gave me a paralyzer instead of continuing sedation. They blindfolded me too so I couldn't see." Cody was slumped in the corner against the ray shield and the wall.

"Surgery?" Ahsoka whispered to herself.

"Is that all you know?" Motormouth pressed, hoping for something helpful enough to free them. Cody nodded.

"That is all I know from the point of capture to now. Now where is Rex? I heard his voice earlier!" A cold sense of dread washed over the Togruta as she took a step back. Her commander watched her solemnly, but did not move to touch her this time.

"Rex has been moved. We don't know exactly where to but I swear we'll get him back." He assured. Cole suddenly piped up and gave a scoff.

"Those who go into Mogens's lair never come out and are never heard from again. It's like being sucked into a black hole." His acidic voice droned. Ahsoka covered the sides of her face and leaned against the back wall. _Shut up…_She clenched her jaw.

"Who is _that_?" Cody barked, twisting around to look.

"Someone who is been here longer than you to know that escape from here is fruitless." Cole's voice came again, this time less hostility.

"That's sergeant Cole, our little ray of sunshine." Motormouth said sarcastically. Cody crawled up the wall to stand.

"I guess you haven't been a soldier for very long, _soldier._" Cody sassed the other clone. Ahsoka gripped her head.

"Perhaps not, but I have been here longer than you. And I'm telling you, it's not worth the fight. You'll only die tired. The slave driver is a sick minded pervert that goes through slaves quicker than his meals. And a fiery clone like your friend Rex is going to have his spirit crushed. I'd say just wait and see, but you'll never see him aga-" What had been simmering under a dark cloud had finally erupted, and the detention cells were now flooded with the sound of an infuriated, screaming voice,

"_Shut up! Just shut up! Shut up, shut up! It doesn't matter how many times you say we will not escape this hell! We will escape this hell because we have the will to go on unlike you! You're the one who will remain behind and rot while the rest of us seek liberation!"_ Ahsoka's montrals had turned a raspberry red in anger as her eyes flashed fiercely with a raging fire behind them. The entire detention area was now even quieter than it was before she had screamed. Cole had gone completely silent as Cody and Motormouth stood agape staring at the young Padawan. Ahsoka trembled and retreated to the back of the cell.

"I'm sorry I screamed…" She mouthed, not a sound escaped her lips. Her back hit the cold concrete and she put her face in hands. _That was not the Jedi way…We are not supposed to explode like that. No matter the situation we must stand strong and stand tall. _Motormouth cautiously approached her took her into her arms to comfort her. Ahsoka accepted his invitation without hesitation and held him tightly; glad he was here with her.

"You have quite a powerful voice in you commander, if you don't mind me saying so." He whispered as softly as possible. Ahsoka nodded into his chest.

"I should not have done that. That is not what Jedi do."

"I understand." He said. "But Cody and I don't blame you. You beat us to what we were bound to do." Ahsoka didn't speak. She listened to the steady beat of her commander's heart, letting it flood her mind and soothe her. As long as she had his heartbeat, she could hold it together.

"We will get out. I know we will." She murmured.

…

The pair had slumped to the floor. Motormouth leaned against the wall and Ahsoka leaned against him for comfort and warmth now that the fire had left her. Cody was facing them still shoved into the front corner of the cell. None of them heard Cole speak since Ahsoka unleashed her fury on him. They doubted it would keep him quiet for long. Motormouth let Ahsoka hold onto one of his arms, her head laying against it and finding comfort with him close. Neither had spoken a word in a long time. But this type of silence was almost calming.

The silence did not last long. The doors to the detention area opened and everyone tensed in apprehension. Clanking footsteps made their way down the corridor. A familiar sight appeared before them as the two reprogrammed battle droids parked in front of Ahsoka and Motormouth's cell. The one with bleach white markings deactivated it. The dark red marked droid pointed a gun at them.

"You-clone-get up." It ordered. Ahsoka shifted her gaze to the clone. Slowly, he got to his feet.

"You don't have to do this." Ahsoka whispered to him.

"Hurry up." The female droid snapped.

"It will be all right Ahsoka…Like I said, endure and persist. Trust me." He reassured, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I trust you…" She trailed. Grudgingly, she released his hand as he approached the droids. The red marked one grabbed his arm and forcibly led him back out as the other reactivated the cell. The azure wall holding her back again.

"You're up soon. Don't get cold feet." The female droid hissed. Ahsoka lunged at the ray shield and watched as the trio disappeared behind the door, shutting in finality. A dreading sensation crept into the back of Ahsoka's mind as she sank to the floor. _He's gone…he's gone…he'll be back though…_She shivered and fear mounted up inside her again. She couldn't feel the warmth of his being or the steady beat of his heart.

"Commander Tano… are you all right?" Cody asked. She didn't hear it. Her mind blocked out everything as the floor spun beneath her. _He'll be back. This is not the end._


	15. Misery and Malice

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Examination Room A_

Motormouth had been blindfolded upon exiting the detention center. Thick black cloth obstructed his view of anything around him and he couldn't even see light through the dark fabric. The droids led him down corridors much warmer than the prison area, but no less eerie. His arms were securely held by the droids' icy metal hands. _At least Commander Cody is with Ahsoka. I would hate to have her left alone right now. The evil in this place must be overwhelming to a young Jedi. _Thoughts kept his sanity clear and his objective strong. The trio paused for a moment before a door whooshed open in front of them. At last Motormouth could see a difference in the light through his blindfold. _Stay strong. Don't cave. _He thought, now needing to reassure himself. One droid released his arm as the other guided him further into the room. Something low nudged his stomach. It felt like a table of some sort.

"Turn around." It was the male droid that was still with him. The blindfold was yanked from his head and instantly the blinding light combined with the white of the room made him cover his eyes with a hand.

"Sit." The droid commanded and pushed him down onto the table like object. It was firmly cushioned rather than metallic. Slowly, Motormouth adjusted his eyes to the fierce light; anxious to see where they had led him. So far the only thing he was able to recognize was what he was sitting on. It was a long and cushioned table in a light grey color. The battle droid pushed him down so he lay down. Finally, Motormouth knew what this object was. _Haar'chak! This is an operating table! _Panic danced in his mind for a moment, then violently stomped as the maroon marked droid buckled his wrists and ankles down to the surface of the table. _Th-this can't be the end…This just can't be. _A lump formed in his throat and he fought to remain composed. _This has to be…what was that Cole said? Regis? Cybernetics…one of the worst to be under. _His thoughts grew apprehensive again. _Wait, wait. What was that Cole also said? She is reluctant to proceed due to failed experiments? I hope that means that this will be quick and painless. _His fingers had balled into fists. The white marked droid had left, leaving the other standing guard in the room.

Motormouth hoped the Director would never arrive. He hoped maybe she was delayed, or lost interest, or died or something. However, luck was not on his side. Half an hour later, the door opened with a whoosh sound and heavier metal footsteps entered the room out of his line of sight.

"The clone is ready for evaluation." The blasted maroon droid informed her.

"Good." A sharp, grating yet somehow female voice sent a shudder up Motormouth's spine and arms. Without thinking, he tensed and pulled at the binders securing his wrists down at his sides.

"You are dismissed. I'll call you again when I finish." Regis moved about the room and gathered her materials. _No, no let him stay! Or something! Do not leave me alone with this sadist! _The clone's arms were so tense they began to cramp.

"Roger, roger." Clanking, then a whoosh, and another whoosh and the droid was gone. _I think I have to vomit…well I would if I had something to vomit up. _Another shiver ran through him as the Director neared closer and closer. Instinctively, his eyes closed. What he was about to witness he would never be able to scratch out of his mind. Footsteps stopped next to the operating table. Close by, a rolling stand came to a halt hear his head. _Just don't ever open your eyes. And don't cry soldier. You're a clone. You were bred to endure…. endure war though…not something like this…_

"Oh, if only you could sleep though this, huh?" The grating voice caught him by surprise and he flinched involuntarily. _Damn it. _She gave a short chuckle at his flinch. By the sounds, he could tell that she was inputting something into a data pad. _Just keep your eyes closed. _He told himself. Something was picked up on the tray and a sudden pain stabbed into his right forearm. Motormouth jolted and his eyes flew open to see a syringe imbedded in his skin, stealing blood from his veins.

"Relax." Regis said to him. Her large hand was holding his arm still as she proceeded. Slowly, his eyes flicked to look at her. Instantly, he wished he didn't. One side of her head was constructed of steel while the other spilled inky black hair down to her elbow. The left eye was a robotic piece glowing yellow and the other was larger and plated in a reflective red glass. Moving around the air above them were four mechanical arms attached to her spine. _I should not have looked. _He reprimanded himself. Now that he _had_ looked at her, he found it impossible to look away. Regis finished drawing blood and capped the syringe. Next, she lifted a small scanning like device and held it over his wrist. A cyan light glowed on his skin. After a moment, the light turned off and Regis read whatever information the scanner was telling her.

"CC-3302." She read, "commonly referred to as Motormouth." He gave a shudder when she said his name. "For someone called Motormouth you sure don't say a whole lot." The Director commented. The clone went to open his mouth then sealed it shut again. _Don't even speak to them. Don't let them know they have the power to provoke you. _

"That's okay. I know how to get your kind talking." Her voice dropped to a sinister mutter. He avoided her unsettling gaze. _Don't let this be a torture session. I just need to get back to Ahsoka in one piece. _The room flashed crimson for a second as another machine scanned his entire body. A grid formed on him and a line went up and down the grid.

"Do you have any pre-existing cybernetic enhancements?" Regis asked. Motormouth pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.

"I will advise you now that if you try to play tough, you'll be wheeled out of here broken and a shell of your former self." The scan ended and the machine folded away. "Do you understand?" Instead of speaking, he nodded stiffly.

"I will repeat the question. Do you have any pre-existing cybernetic enhancements?" By his head, one of her mechanical arms had produced a thick needle that was poised over his throat.

"No." He croaked. A twisted and triumphant smile appeared on her face. The needle arm retracted and emitted a robotic sound that almost could've been disappointment.

"We are pleased by your obedience. If you continue, you'll be out of here in minutes instead of hours." The Director stepped away from him and vanished out of sight. Motormouth tried to locate her and twisted around in his bindings. He couldn't see her. The rolling stand was in the way. Regis appeared on the other side of him, making him flinch again in surprise. In her hands she held a long arm compiled from metal, steel and wires. She held it near his left arm, judging whether the piece would be a suitable replacement for his perfectly normal arm. A questioned burned on the clone's tongue, but he dared not ask it. His body twitched anxiously on the operating table, growing more nervous the more robotic pieces she presented.

"Not the right diameter…" He caught her mumble. _How long is this going to be? Just let me go already. _An impatient sigh escaped through his nose.

"Impatient are we?" Regis evidently heard it. "Would you like me to begin surgery today then?" His heart skipped a beat in fear and his stomach tightened in mounting fear.

"No, no, no please…" _Silence soldier what are you doing speaking? And making noises? _Regis hovered over him, her eyes lining up with his. Slowly, her hands came to clamp down on either side of his head, trapping him.

"You don't want me to improve you?" The yellow eye dimmed for a moment as the other's rim spun around and around, as if focusing on his face more. The clone refused to open his mouth and he resorted to staring up into her inhuman eyes. Her thumbs gently stroked his temples.

"I have something that will open that pretty mouth of yours…" Her hands came away from his head and she went to the counter. Motormouth violently twisted and made to sit upwards.

"No! Don't." He blurted. A mech arm clamped down on his head and forced it back against the table. Regis returned holding a wretched looking contraption. It was black with thin, stretched wires. The clone didn't know what to make of it. The remaining mech arms secured him down to the table as he thrashed about. The Director leaned over him again and said,

"Now, open wide."

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Mogens's Lair_

The Trandoshan led Rex down a series of empty corridors. When they passed through the dark halls, the lights above came on by motion sensory. Obviously no one had come down this way in a long time, or else the lights would be on. _This is very bad. _He thought. _If we're all out of contact of one another, how the hell are we going to escape together? _The end of the hall they traveled along ended with one single, massive, iron door with many bolts. Next to the door was some sort of keypad and a speaker. Above that was a small camera, currently inactive. The Trando parked himself in front of the keypad and input a series of numbers. Surreptitiously, Rex gazed at the keypad, hoping to see and remember the pass code. It was no such luck since the Trando's arm blocked several of the pressed keys and the others were inputted to quickly for him to register. _Damn. _A loud creaking or groaning sound perhaps came from the iron door as it split into two and opened for the pair. Even through his body glove and armor, Rex felt a blast of heat and humidity from beyond. Moisture seeped into his body glove and it clung to his skin already. _Is this a version of hell? Cause it sure feels like it. _At least it was better than freezing to death in the detention area. Unless he suffocated to death from the density of the air.

"Move." The Trandoshan hissed and jabbed him in the small of his back with the front end of his blaster. Reluctantly, Rex pressed on. _I just hope Skywalker and Kenobi have a plan up their sleeves. We could really use their help about now. _The humid room was not only stifling, but very dark. Rex switched night-vision on in his helmet. In a moment, he could make out everything around him. Pillars spiraled high above them to support a cathedral ceiling. On the ceiling there appeared to be an array of ghastly moss green and deep blue colored fungi. _I hope that's not poisonous. _The floor was as fungal as the ceiling. Large succulent plants curled their vines around the dark pillars. Some of the floor tiles were cracked in places where the vegetation flourished.

The pair followed the path straight down to the opposite end of the room. Suddenly Rex caught sight of movement in front of them at a distance. His stomach churned as he looked at it. _Is that…a Hutt? _As they drew nearer, he saw that is was not quite a Hutt, but just about the size of one. If not, then definitely larger. A humanoid being sat on a massive pillow, flattened and faded. The figure was obscenely corpulent, with rolls of fat spilling over like a revolting waterfall. Its skin was a mottled dark grey with violet veins visible and legs stuck out short and shriveled. The arms were longer than the legs, and moved about normally. Its head was tiny, but swollen and bald. The eyes were squinting and pig-like. Mucus, or what looked like mucus, dripped down from the eyes. Its mouth was full of jagged and misaligned cone teeth. Some were missing or some were chipped.

"Who's that?" It suddenly cried as the Trandoshan kicked a piece of stone.

"Director Mogens, it's just me." The reptilian reassured.

"Oh finally you've returned!" A rasping and strangled voice came from its sickening orifice. "Do you have my prize?" It leaned over excitedly to squint at them.

"Yes, I've brought him." The Trando gripped Rex's arm painfully and pushed him up closer to the obscene thing. Mogens opened his eyes a bit wider, which made little difference. The Trando trapped Rex between himself and the humanoid nearly twice Rex's height, and perhaps ten times the size, or more.

"Ah he is perfect! He'll do nicely to replace my," Mogens gave a giddy chortle, "_late _slave." His massive arm gestured to the left. Rex looked and saw a massive canine creature lying in a pile of moss. Near its feet, was what suspiciously looked like a human femur. As Rex stared too long at the dog creature, it gave a growl.

"Now, now Nefara," Mogens spoke in almost an endearing tone, "he hasn't disobeyed us yet." Rex went light headed and his legs gave out. He fell back against the Trandoshan, who caught him and pushed him back onto his feet.

"Such a shame I couldn't buy the Togruta female off Regis. She would make an excellent slave girl…" Mogens lifted a mushroom growing nearby and stuffed it into his mouth. At that comment, Rex felt his muscles tighten and his fingers curl. _I'm not trapped here with you…You're trapped here with me. _Nefara felt his energy through the air and gave another low growl.

"Stop that!" Mogens bellowed. Rex flinched from the sound. The Trando didn't move. Nefara went silent before rising up and disappearing down a dark corridor.

"Well then, bounty hunter. I have your one million credits I owe you. Take it and leave as soon as you like." Mogens shifted awkwardly to lean on a large stone armrest, crumbling and overtaken by vines.

"With pleasure, Director Mogens." The reptile shoved Rex forward again before turning to leave the way they came. _If only I could outrun that dog…_He tried to formulate a plan in his mind. _I do not want to be alone with this obese slug. _A beefy hand suddenly grabbed Rex around the waist and guided him closer.

"Don't be shy. Come meet your new master. And let me get a good look at ya." Mogens tried hold the clone against him. Rex firmly planted two hands against him to keep himself a distance away.

"I am a soldier, not a slave!" Rex snapped. Mogens gave a wheezing laugh.

"That's what the last slave said." He drew Rex closer still, "he disobeyed and I punished. He believed he would bend but never break. But I _broke him._" Something in the Director's voice made the clone shiver. "Even the toughest soldiers go down eventually."

"You will never break me." Rex growled, holding his head as far away as possible. Mogens leaned close, his beady, black eyes reflecting his helmet. In his eyes, the clone saw malice mixed with desire.

"We'll see about that. In time, I too, will break your spirit."


	16. A Violent End

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Surgery Room I_

The pain would have been excruciating and unbearable had Jesse's body not been flooded by painkillers and copious doses of morphine. His vision blurred and crossed as he stared at the giant blinding light above him. A muffled voice from his left sounded miles away. None of his limbs moved on his command. Instead they lay as if dead or twitched very slightly. Vaguely, Jesse could see the beige blur of a doctor coming over to his right side. Rallus was still in the room. That was the only thing Jesse was absolutely certain about. The mutant creature sidled around the room, clearing away gore spattered towels and a severed limb. _Gone…it's…. gone…_The clone's muddled thoughts repeated only one thing. In the bucket on the floor was his amputated leg. Jesse's vision came and went. Then once more, he went limp as the drugs forced him back under.

Rallus bent over the clone. With two fingers, he gently opened one of Jesse's eyes. Only the white showed.

"Can't say I expected anything better than this." He turned his gaze to the doctors. "Send for Tarnus and remain outside the surgery room until I call you back in." The team of three doctors nodded and filed silently out of the room. Rallus's eyes drifted down to Jesse's recently operated on leg. The leg had been sawed away at the calf. Right now the stump was cauterized and heavily bandaged. Blood loss was high and Rallus knew it midway into the surgery. The door opened with a whoosh. A tall and muscular figure entered. From head to toe he was clad in thick leather armor in a burnt wood color. A double belt rested on his hips, two pistols sitting in their holsters. Covering his head was a gas mask with multiple dials and features. Tarnus could not breathe the same air the rest of them did. Exposing him to the atmosphere would cripple his lungs and to no surprise, kill him.

"You called me? What do you need?" He wasted no time and strode up to the surgery table.

"This clone was the slaughtered leg victim. I just finished his surgery."

"He looks dead." Tarnus stated blatantly.

"Just about. I realized midway into the surgery that amputations were your specialty."

"He's pale. How much blood did he lose?"

"Too much too soon. He just blacked out again." Rallus moved away to allow Tarnus closer. Buckets and bloody towels still littered the tiled floor. The counters were just as cluttered with surgical equipment. The other Director examined the butchered leg, pressing hard in certain spots to obtain a reaction from Jesse. The clone didn't so much as twitch an eyelid.

"I think he's almost gone anyway." Tarnus diagnosed rather unhelpfully. It was evident to any that Jesse was on his way out.

"That's it then. We'll let him die and then commence removing the primary organs."

"What was your reasoning for trying to save him?" He continued to toy with Jesse's body, trying to generate any response. Only his chest rising up and down indicated life.

"I don't have buyers lined up at the moment. If I saved him his body would provide a far superior host for his organs than my freezers. At least I still have the other one in good health."

"Then let's expedite this." In one fluent motion, Tarnus reached for the pistol resting on his belt and fired one lethal shot through Jesse's skull, immediately killing him. Blood erupted from the penetration site, showering him, Jesse and the table with fresh blood. Rallus watched the exact moment the clone's chest stopped rising and falling with each breath.

"What if I had changed my mind?"

"Too late." He gave a gruff smirk. Rallus gave a twisted smile before calling the doctors back into the room. They reentered and automatically went to cleaning the mess, unmoved by the now murdered clone.

"Once I've finished removing his organs take his body to the 0-0 freezer. And clean up this slaughterhouse." He ordered. The doctors took no offense to the brusque orders and did as told. Tarnus shifted past Rallus.

"Enjoy that healthy one. Clones are becoming harder to get." He said.

"To you as well. I think at this point it's become suspicious."

"Eonin is well concealed. No one gets out of here and no one knows about us."

"And no one ever will."

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, A-1 Prison Cell_

Fives was up and moving far quicker than Echo. Whatever drug had been injected into them was evidently not strong enough to keep that clone down. For a solid three hours, Fives scoured the room for any type of door or difference in the room's design. No matter where he had looked, every detail was mirrored perfectly. Evidence of any escape in this room did not exist. Except in one place.

"It's right here!" Fives crouched in front of it. His eyes had been boring into the same spot for over an hour. "I know it is! I can see a distortion. Right here there's a line that cuts off."

"That could be anything, Fives." Echo mumbled. The other clone was sitting against the wall with his knees drawn up to his chest. The sedative was long out of their system by this point.

"If you would help me, we can figure a way out of this room."

"I think our best bet is to save our strength then when someone comes to get us, we rush him." Echo sounded exhausted. Fives scoffed.

"Who knows how long that could be." Digging into the tiny spaces in the lines, Fives tried anything that came to his mind. Blowing on the spaces, tracing the patterned lines, showing his eye in hopes of a retinal scanner, anything he thought of he did.

"Fives…" Echo whispered. Slowly, the other clone turned his head, leaving the tip of his finger on the point of interest in the wall.

"Mm?"

"Come sit with me. If we rest or perhaps pretend to be dead, they might send someone in here that we could ambush." Echo gazed somberly. Fives shook his head.

"I can't do that. I know I'm onto something." With his eyes on the spot, he rose up and violently struck his foot against the wall.

"Come on you cowards!" He shouted and the sound reverberated around the room. Echo cringed at the volume.

"Fives." He insisted.

"No."

"Just listen to me then." Impatience began to rise up in Echo's usually mellow tone.

"Fine." Fives grunted.

"Whatever we are up against…When we were captured it was done through sedative darts. And we had no way of fighting back. Now we wake up in this sophisticated manner of detainment. I believe whatever we are up against despite what we initially saw, is not Separatists. This is darker than Separatists." The piercing silence of the cramped room rang in Fives's ears.

"I don't know how long we'll be stuck in here." Before Echo could speak Fives screamed,

"C'mon out you cowards!" He delivered another forceful kick to what he thought was the door. "You can't leave us in here! I will break this room bit by bit!" Unexpectedly, a voice chimed loudly,

"Stop that clone! Or we'll relocate you!" The voice sounded like it was over a speaker, but there didn't seem to be anything in the room with them. Both clones felt their hearts miss a beat. This was the first contact they had since capture.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Fives, a new anger sparked in him, began to kick at the walls with all his might, hoping to draw more attention.

"Silence you fool!" The voice came again, hissing at him.

"No! Show yourself you coward!"

"Fives!" Echo interjected.

"That's it!" The strange voice came again. Fives paused for a moment. He waited for a door in the walls to open up. None came. A small sliding sound emitted and both clones looked around in confusion. A small tranquilizer appeared in one of the top corners of the room.

"What the h-" It expelled a dart that stuck right in Fives's neck, silencing him.

"Fives!" Echo cried, leaping to his feet.

"Not again…" The clone's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he dropped to the floor with a thud. At the same time that occurred, a door did open. Two droids stood blocking the way out.

"Crazy clone." One muttered. The other raised its gun at Echo.

"You've been selected for dismemberment. Come quietly with me or I will subdue you." The air was knocked out of Echo as his heart fluttered in panic. _D-dismemberment? N-no that can't be right…._ The first droid had pounced Fives and dragged him out of the cell.

"Fives!" Echo lurched forward.

"Don't move a muscle!" The droid with the gun threatened.

"Where are you taking him?" Echo demanded. Fives was dragged out and hoisted over the shoulder of the droid.

"Relocation. Now follow me." It went to grab for the clone's arm. In a split-second decision, Echo struck out with his foot and kicked the droid's leg. It worked and the droid went down for a moment as Echo bolted out of the cell.

"Shoot him! Shoot him!" The down droid shrieked. The remaining droid dropped Fives and grabbed its blaster. Echo advanced much quicker than the droid and crashed into it, knocking the weapon far away.

"Fives?" He shook his friend. Fives was out cold, the dart still lodged in his neck.

"I got you brother." Echo whispered and gathered him in his arms.

"No you don't." A cold voice said behind him. Echo went to turn around to attack. The second he did, the droid shot him in the chest with an electric staff. The clone shrieked in surprise and pain before crashing to the floor alongside Fives.

"What feisty little clones." One of the droids remarked, lifting Fives back into its arms.

"Indeed. Mogens would have been pleased with either." This droid grabbed Echo by an ankle and dragged him down the corridor.

"Or infuriated. One of his former slaves is still enduring punishment in 0-0."

"Well Director Tarnus will enjoy hacking these two apart I'm sure." The droid carrying Fives opened another cell down the hall on the opposite side and disappeared through. The other droid with Echo dragged his unconscious body down the corridor, and to an adjacent operating room. Neither knew what horrors were about to befall them as they were separated.

_Zeres_

_ Eonin 0-0_

Ahsoka was roused from her troubled sleep immediately when she heard the sound of the main door open. Madness consumed her mind as she thought what if she was next? Or Cody? Leaping to her feet, the young Padawan stood her ground. The droid painted maroon appeared and shoved Motormouth up to the cell.

"Motormouth!" She cried in surprise. His eyes were dark and Ahsoka could see light violet bruises near his jaw line. _What did they do to him? _The azure shield deactivated long enough for the droid to shove him back in.

"I'll be back for you later." It informed before disappearing the same way it came. Cody's interest was piqued now as he stared at the two of them.

"Commander, where did they take you?" He inquired anxiously. The other clone rubbed his jaw line gingerly.

"You do not want to know." His voice was darker than his eyes. Ahsoka shrunk back, hurt by his pain and anger. "If we're going to escape we need to start planning on it soon. Very soon. I can't tell you what I've seen, because I've been blindfolded each time they take me out. All I've seen of this place are its surgery rooms."

"Same here, unfortunately." Cody added.

"Ahsoka, I don't know how, but we need to find a way out of here and fast." Worry tinged his voice.

"I've tried-"

"Try harder! In a few hours, I will be undergoing another assessment. And I overheard that Cody has been bought by somebody called the 'Howitzer Twins'."

"What?" This was Cody, now anxiously on his feet as his face was pressed against the shield.

"The Howitzers are the Directors of Genetic Mutations. Also known as the worst to be under." Cole's grim voice supplied.

"Shut up you!" Ahsoka snapped.

"I was just letting you know." He replied acidly.

"Ahsoka-" Motormouth began.

"All right, all right." She dropped into a cross legged position, "I'll figure something out." Her eyes closed shut and took one deep breath. Darkness flooded her vision. Around her, she was suddenly hyperaware of every presence in the room. Motormouth's, Cody's, Cole's, Bolt and Merlo- she could feel their hearts beating in her head like a macabre orchestra. Outside of the cell, the main door loudly opened and startled her out of the trance. Beside her, Motormouth tensed visibly and his fingers curled into fists. Ahsoka's skin prickled as they waited. Clanking footsteps, and something being dragged put them all on edge. Eventually, a droid with no markings passed through. In either metallic claw was a thick, black bag about the length of an average human. Ahsoka's stomach clenched and her hand went to her mouth. _Two…two…Who did they…. did they kill? _Words barely formed in her mind. Absently she glanced to her commander. Even his mouth had fallen agape at the scene. An eternity passed as the droid went to the door opposite of the main, and another eternity passed when the droid left, leaving each of them in a wrenching silence.

"Ahsoka…" Motormouth's soft voice was piercing in the silence.

"I'm on it." She snapped back. Cody dropped to his knees across from them.

"Was that…" He mouthed. Fortunately, this time, Cole did not speak. Perhaps the scene unsettled him as well. But that was doubtful. The clone was sure to have seen and heard much worse over his enslavement here. Ahsoka shivered before reentering her trance, hoping this time it would not be interrupted. _The power grid in here…or even just our cell. If I can deactivate that…_With a great deal of concentration, her mind gradually felt as if it were leaving her body and floated about the detention area. It was a numbing and peculiar sensation. She could no longer feel any of her limbs, or even an attachment to the physical world. _The keypad…the keypad…_Trying to form a direction, the Togruta forced her way to her destination. The air in the room was thicker and harder to press on. Something dark and evil was keeping Ahsoka from using the force as easily as she was used to. Far away, her mind was distracted by approaching footsteps. Again, the main door opened with a loud slide and two sets of footsteps strode right in. Ahsoka gasped and felt her mind snap right back to her body. The maroon marked droid was back, behind him was a strange figure in a beige smock and helmet. Deactivating the shield with his gun ready to fire, it barked,

"Told you I would be back. Now try anything funny, and I will break you both." The shield vanished in front of them as well as Cody's. Forcefully, Motormouth and Cody were extracted from their cells and dragged away. Ahsoka got to her feet, but the shield reappeared and held her back. _Blast! _With a resounding crash, the main door shut again, leaving Ahsoka alone. _Blast! Blast! Blast! Masters, where are you? Why haven't you rescued us yet? _Her body trembled in fear and anger and hopelessness.

…..

An hour passed and the detention hall dimmed from lack of activity. Ahsoka was on the ground again with a new persistence. Ferociously, she worked the force, pushing through the darkness that held her back from her goal. Concentration pulsed in her mind and at last, she managed to deactivate the azure ray shield holding her in the cell. Her eyes flew open and stared at the opening. It was gone. The ray shield was no longer active. For several minutes she couldn't quite believe she had done it. Outstretching her arm, she dared to cross the threshold. Nothing happened. Her arm passed into the hall. The light overhead brightened, sensing motion. _Well, it's certainly a step. But what awaits me out there will be a mystery. I haven't been outside of the cell yet. I have only my wits and the force to guide me. _Ahsoka got to her feet and very slowly stepped into the hall and made her way to the main door. Her bare feet made hardly any sound as she passed, but her shadow fell across Cole as he sat pressed into the corner. He jerked and he looked.

"Y-you…"

"That's right." Ahsoka said fiercely. "I told you we would escape. And that's what I'm going to do."

"You've never seen this place beyond the cells." _He's right. _"Sure, you escaped this tiny little place. But I'll warn you right now. What lies out there is a never ending maze of misery." Cole went quiet for a second. Ahsoka glared down at him, her body tense as a taut rope.

"Thank you for your optimism." She seethed and started for the door.

"Wait." The Padawan paused.

"What?"

"Disguise yourself as a doctor."

"A what?"

"The beige figure in here earlier. There are hundreds milling about here. I've seen them. They will never suspect it." For a moment, she didn't know what to make of this advice. She could not believe that he would possibly want to help her now…Did he?

"I can let you out too." She offered. Cole shook his head slowly.

"I'd be nothing but a burden." Carefully, he stroked the metal leg fused to his femur. "My legs don't work anymore. I would only slow you down."

"I see." She felt a pang of guilt leaving them all here to rot and die.

"Ahsoka." The use of her name startled her. "If you do manage to free your friends and get out of here…. ah, never mind…"

"Cole-"

"You should get a move on before you lose your chance." He snapped at her, the fire returning to his voice. "Go!" Ahsoka flinched at the harshness and hurried past his cell. The main door was simple enough. All that was required was to press the 'open' button. Stepping out of the freezer, she was instantly greeted with warm air. It was almost too hot now that she had acclimated. Venturing out, the motion sense lighting out here did not come on. The hallways were dim. Behind her, the main door slammed shut. _Okay…I guess I'm on my own. I'll take Cole's advice. I'll use a disguise, then try to find any of my company. That is…if they aren't dead yet._


	17. A Twisted Tale

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Unknown Premises_

Ahsoka was greeted with an unusual amount of luck. Every corridor she traversed through was empty except for her. Cameras on the other hand, that worried her. If there was a legion of cameras lining the corridors, they must be invisible since every corridor she ventured through was identical and barren. Doors lined up on either side and were easily missed if it she hadn't noticed the distorted lines and the outline of a tall rectangle.

It wasn't the lack of activity so much as they lack of sound that disturbed her. There was no sound except the padding of her bare feet on the durasteel floor. _I don't even know who to find first. _Ahsoka thought. Even her own thoughts were loud to her and the silence brought on an incessant ringing. _I should find Skywalker and Kenobi first. Or maybe just leave it to luck and whoever finds me first…Blast I really should have devised a plan before getting stuck out here in the open. _

Trying her luck with the doors was easy enough as well. All it took was a push of a button. _Cole said to look for a supply closet. As soon as I get a disguise I'll feel less paranoid out here in the open. _The first door she opened was dark with a single light hanging over a steel table with buckles built in. With a flinch and wave of her hand she closed the door. _Nope. Definitely not there. _Another handful of rooms housed only medical equipment. One door didn't even open. She hoped it was not a supply closet, then reassured herself it would asinine to lock a supply closet over a medical cabinet.

_Yes! _Ahsoka felt a wave of relief and accomplishment wash over her as the last door in corridor had a series of beige uniforms lined up on a rack. She took down the first one, which was connected to the metal clip in the back and accidently pulled the entire steel shelf down to the floor with a resounding crash. _No! _In a second, she decided to pull the uniform on first. Lights above in the corridor exploded on and bathed it in an icy white glow. Ahsoka shoved the opaque helmet on and concealed every part of her body just as two doctors wearing similar uniforms appeared at the door.

"What has happened?" One of them, she couldn't tell which, inquired in a startlingly apathetic voice. Ahsoka took a step back to lift up the rack.

"I must've snagged something on the rack and pulled it down." She answered, emulating their apathetic tones. The doctors exchanged blank looks. Though there was no way they could see one another through the face shield, it worried Ahsoka.

"Indeed." One of them spoke again she really could not tell who was speaking.

"080, you've been selected with us to assist in surgery with Director Regis at 1600 hours. Director Regis is performing a mechanical arm replacement on a clone trooper." One of them informed. Ahsoka's heart fluttered in a brief panic.

"Clone trooper? What is this clone trooper's name?" She didn't remember his number and a name would prove more helpful.

"Name? We do not call our experiments by their names 080. Perhaps that rack hit you over the head too hard." Neither doctor laughed at the remark. Ahsoka felt her disguise slowly becoming compromised.

"Of course. How foolish of me." If she could get just one more answer out of them, it was all she needed. "Which surgery room is this taking place in?" A tense moment of silence passed between the trio.

"Surgery room 5…" One of the doctor's slowly reached a hand behind their back. At the same time, Ahsoka raised her hands.

"Thank you…doctors…" In a flash, she sent the two back against the wall with a brutal force push. Each of them slammed their head against the steel wall and slumped to the floor, broken or unconscious or whatever they were. Again with the force, Ahsoka dragged them across the floor into the supply closet, closed the door and busted the control panel. _That should keep them in. I'll make an excuse for them later during the surgery. I just need to know what time it is now. _

After nearly ten minutes of speed-walking through the corridors, it finally opened up into a cathedral lobby like room. Above a massive pair of doors was a clock. _What luck! _The clock displayed in bright poison green numbers; 13:40. _I'll just have to assume I have two hours…I don't want to overestimate. I should find the surgery room now…Surgery Room 5…1600 hours…_She repeated it to herself in a chant as she ventured across the great floor. The floor beneath her feet looked as it had been crafted with shards of massive diamonds, glittering and twinkling malachite from the clock's glow. Over the lesser doors in the lobby, it helpfully read in Aurebesh where it led. _Medical Cabinets…Storage…Freezer, that must have been where I was trapped…Maybe all these connect to one another and that's how I ended up in different sectors? _She shook her head, not caring how at the moment, but where. _Surgery rooms! _With a leap, she dashed down the entrance before slowing to a leisurely stroll. _Don't run. Don't draw more attention to myself…Knocking two doctors unconscious and leaving them in a supply closet is suspicious enough. _

Surgery Room 5 proved harder to locate than she anticipated. And it was due to the fact that there were no labels on the doors down here. _Blast. _It was too obvious to start opening every other door she came across. Suddenly a door behind her opened and heavy clanking footsteps came into the hall. Immediately, she thought of General Grievous, and then she turned. It was scarier than even the droid general. Four mechanical arms waved about in the air and the person's face was crafted out of metal, black hair and droid eyes.

"080, where are 442 and 928?" It spoke and sent a shudder down Ahsoka's spine.

"I have not encountered them." She controlled the tremble in her voice.

"Damn them!"

Ahsoka flinched. The figure didn't see since its head turned. It turned back to look at her.

"Go ahead in now. Keep an eye on the clone trooper. I'm going to accomplish a few tasks before we get the show on the road."

"Yes." She didn't dare say Director in case it wasn't a Director. And she was too unsure to say anything else. All she could really do was hope she could slip under the radar, sabotage the plans and escape unscathed. That, or she would be left no choice to use the Force.

The figure clanked loudly down the corridor, echoing until the sound faded away. Ahsoka entered the surgery room. She nearly cried in relief. Motormouth was there, lying buckled to the operating table, and wide awake. When she approached, he turned his head away and clenched his jaw. _He doesn't know it's me…obviously. _Her hands went up to the helmet when she paused. _I can't take chances right now…what if someone enters? _She turned to look at the door. It had closed when she entered. _I don't know how much time I will have to free him and escape. I may have to wait this out…or what if I wait to late and the surgery is a go? _Her eyes watched her clone commander from behind the helmet. She could always tell him it was her, and not to worry…Motormouth trembled once on the table and she wanted to hold his hand. She was so far now…if she messed up…

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Mogens's Lair_

Exchanging the numbing cold of the freezer for the sweat inducing humidity of Mogens's lair was perhaps the only difference Rex could live with. The new area was also much darker. Not that it was that big of a deal, Rex's helmet had night vision which prevented him from running into walls, tripping over the vines, or even meeting up with that fearsome hound Nefara. Fortunately, Rex had escaped Mogens's perverse grasp when the obese creature received word from another one of the Directors through the speaker in his armrest. The clone captain was sent away when it happened; most likely to prevent him from hearing sensitive information. When Rex tried to sneak back into the main room to eavesdrop, Nefara had appeared behind him, baring her teeth and threatening him with low, hellish growls. She herded him back to Mogens just as he ended his conversation.

"Ah, thank you Nefara." He wheezed and reached to pat her head. Reluctantly, the hound allowed him before slinking away into the gloom. "Now then, little one," He redirected his attention to Rex. Reaching around him, he pulled a bundle of crimson silk attached to thin, golden metal pieces. With a flick of his wrist, the bundle of cloth and metal landed right before Rex's feet. His stomach churned as he surmised what this so obviously meant. Leaning back into his flattened, stale pillows, Mogens waited almost eagerly. His fat fingers were interlaced and resting on his stomach. Rex stared dumbly at the bundle of cloth and with the cover of his helmet, at the obese creature.

"Well?" Mogens broke the silence impatiently.

"Well what?"

"Put it on." Rex's fears were confirmed.

"Er, I…don't think that's possible right now…" He tried to evade the order. Mogens gave a low chuckle.

"Oh, but of course, how silly of me." The captain shivered, knowing the humor was not genuine. "Remove your armor." At this, the clone's legs went weak. _I knew it. I knew it's what he wanted. _A shiver went through his spine.

"Start with your helmet." Mogens's voice came again, "I want to see your face." _It won't be that bad…it won't be that bad…if I disobey he'll probably let that mutt tear me apart. _Hesitantly, his hands went up to his helmet. In one quick motion, he pulled it off and set it on the ground. _Now part of my cover is gone. I just hope he's partially blind. _

"Blonde hair and brown eyes…interesting." _Well I guess he isn't blind. _"My last slave had black hair and blue eyes…such a pretty little thing..." Mogens began to rub his hands together. "Keep it coming." Forcing himself not to betray anything on his face, Rex plucked off the armor on his arms.

"Slowly." Mogens snapped, making him flinch involuntarily. "Take it off slowly." Rex felt color rush to his cheeks. Behind him, Nefara reappeared and sat down merely a couple feet away. Keeping his eyes down, he peeled off his armor piece by piece. _I wonder if he'd be upset if I just made myself pass out right now. _He thought it through. _Bad idea. I at least want to know what happens to me here. Being unconscious is a terrible way to go through it. Then again so is being aware of every grueling minute. _Eventually, Rex stood in just his body glove, sweat dripping down his back and face.

"You're not done yet." Mogens chided. _Whatever Ahsoka is going through…I hope it's far better than this. _His fingers reached behind him as he pulled the zipper down. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the concupiscent gaze Mogens was giving him. Or perhaps he was imagining it? Slipping out of the body glove, Rex hoped the dim lighting obscured any great details of his body. Then he remembered that earlier Mogens knew the correct color of his eyes even in this light and distance.

"That's right…keep going…" Mogens's voice had softened into a low rumble. _I'll kill him for this. _Rex stayed rigid as he stepped out of the body glove, his body now bare and exposed. Swiping up the slave garb, he made to put it on. To his discomfort, it was far more complicated to put on then he thought. Wrapped around his waist was slit skirt falling to the floor with a chunky, gold plated belt. The only other part of the garment was a series of golden bangles that rested on his upper left arm. Around his throat was a necklace in gold as well.

"Good. You've pleased me today." Mogens's voice never failed to make Rex uncomfortable. "At times I was afraid you would be a repeat of my late slave." His hand dove into a slimy bowl beside him and he shoved whatever it was he had picked up into his mouth.

"And what happened to him?" Rex was genuinely curious.

"The latest one is no more. My pretty black-haired, blue-eyed slave is still around…just not here." Nefara took a seat next to her master on the filthy pillows. Rex watched as Mogens patted both the hound and stuffed his face with slime. He hoped the Director had forgotten about him enough for him to sneak backwards behind a pillar something.

"Where are you going?" His voice froze Rex in mid-step. Suddenly something thick wrapped around his waist and dragged him back up to the platform. The clone's eyes looked straight down and saw a thick appendage snaked around his waist. It took him a second to realize that it was a vine! The vine dragged Rex all the way up to Mogens until there was nothing but a sliver of space between them. Bending forward, his beady, black eyes challenged the clone.

"Go ahead. Escape if you wish." He sneered derisively. "But, before you do I will enlighten you with a tale." Around his waist, the vine tightened more and even coiled around his thigh. Rex held the challenging stare with his own. His jaw clenched tightly.

"A week ago, one of my slaves so cunningly evaded me and managed to escape through the only door in here." With a massive arm, he pointed to the door on the opposite end, visible even in the gloom. "Nefara followed him and chased him through the labyrinth of identical corridors. I am not without some mercy. I allowed the clone three chances to obey. And he used each one without care. The poor clone would never find his way out, especially with a hound hot on his scent. The whole ordeal took perhaps less than twenty minutes, before she brought him back. Actually, she brought him back in segments." Mogens's arm vanished behind a mountain of pillows for a moment. In his hand was a human femur, fleshy ribbons still clung to the bone. Rex's stomach twisted violently and he absently took a step back.

"Keep this in mind." The Director's voice had gone eerily low, even his wheezing stopped here. Rex refused to speak. He let his eyes do the talking as they stared indifferently back.

"Five weeks _earlier_," Mogens continued with an even lower and sinister voice, "My pretty black and blue slave," he took a small pause to chuckle to himself. A shiver worked Rex's spine as he finally dropped his gaze. "He didn't run from me, oh no, he held his ground. His fiery, feisty, stubborn attitude brought about his cruel fate."

The vine held Rex uncomfortably in place right in front of Mogens, his unblinking eyes narrowed and gazing right into Rex's.

"At every chance to defy me he would take it and fight me like a caged wildcat. At first, it was amusing and even a little…_stirring._ But there is always too much of a good thing. After an assassination attempt, I brought Kale and Kahjit to me. I gave Kale limitless boundaries to punish. And he took them without question. I watched, Kahjit watched, and his screams were my revenge to his insolence. He never even looked at me after it. I had broken him and his spirit. And now he lies in the freezer, a shell of a man." Everything around Rex seemed frozen in time and a ringing in his ears grew louder and louder until it faded away. He didn't know what to make of this. _H-he's lying…he's trying to scare me…_But it didn't feel like a lie. Mogens had a twisted smirk resting on his face, his fingers gently rubbed over the fabric of Rex's garment. The clone's eyes fell to the floor and stared intently at a chipped stone. _It's a wretched fate to disobey…but what's the cost of obeying?_


	18. Deception

_Zeres_

_ Eonin, Surgery Room 5_

Ahsoka had pondered various ways to reveal her identity to Motormouth. Anything that didn't involve revealing herself was out of the question since he would be unlikely to believe it. The clone commander was still helplessly strapped to the steel operating table, awaiting a grim fate. Nearly ten minutes had passed since she was left alone with him. Perhaps the Director had been sidetracked. Maybe the doctors she locked in the supply closet were still out cold and out of the way.

Every minute she wasted waiting, she wondered if she could've have set him free earlier. At this point, it was do or die. Ahsoka leaned over the table. Motormouth's eyes flickered with uncertainty and he tried to push himself away.

"Motormouth, it's me Ahsoka." To prove it, she lifted the helmet up to reveal a montral. Motormouth's eyes betrayed nothing but the Padawan could feel relief poring over him.

"Ahsoka, I hope you have a plan! And we need to act fast. I overheard the doctors saying that Cody was up for surgery too. Although I'm sure his will be much worse." He pulled himself free after Ahsoka had undone one of the buckles. She spied a glowing tablet on the counter.

"Was this your surgical procedure?" She inquired.

"I believe so. The Director was holding it a lot and seemed to be inputting information."

"I see." With a hand waved over it, the Togruta smashed the screen and crumbled the metal sheet until it was no more than a ball of scrap metal.

"Good call."

"Where is your armor? Do you have any idea where our weapons could be?"

"Not a clue. But we should move on. They could be back soon." Motormouth slipped a hand around Ahsoka's arm and led her out of the surgery room. The corridors remained deserted. Straining to hear, the Padawan closed her eyes and used her montrals as well as the force to detect a presence. Far to the right, she heard light footsteps. It couldn't be the stomping Grievous clone. But whoever they were, it would be prudent to avoid them.

"Come on," Ahsoka slipped from the clone commander's grasp, "we need find Cody!"

"He was placed under-"

"The Howitzers, I know you told me" They began to jog down the hall.

"I was going to say the Genetic Mutation level. The Director was talking about how he was being moved to a separate level. I don't know if that's up or down." He stopped at an intersection, protecting her from the front and looking all around before moving on.

"Although I was blindfolded while being moved around, I heard the ding of an turbolift earlier. We just need to find it." He led them down a brightly lit corridor and inspected the walls carefully.

"This is going to be severely flawed logic," Ahsoka began, "but I think from what Cole has told us, the worst Directors to be under should go in a certain order. I'm thinking the lowest level will be where Cody is."

The clone gave her an incredulous and dubious expression and shook his head. He stopped in front of what appeared to be an turbolift. He pressed the button to open the doors and waited.

"That is an assumption. We can't base that on anything except opinion."

"Perhaps," Ahsoka hissed, "but get real here, you do not serious expect the levels to be so obviously labeled do you?"

The turbolift doors opened and to their relief, no one was inside. They stepped in and turned to view their floor options. Ahsoka's eyes widened in surprise. Motormouth gave an amused chuckle. In total, there were six levels. Each button had the title of the level beside it.

"Well would you look at that," Motormouth teased, "explicitly labeled levels."

"Oh quit it you!" Ahsoka punched his arm. "You'll see that I was correct in my logic. Look!" The bottom level read 'Organic Mutations/Disease'. She pressed the button and the doors closed on them and the turbolift descended with a shudder.

"We're even then. Now that we have our bearings, let's rescue Cody."

"You're weaponless." Ahsoka pointed out. "Stay behind me and if anyone asks questions, I'll say I have orders to transfer you to this level." Luckily she kept the disguise and tucked her montral back under the helmet.

"Let's just hope we don't encounter anyone down here except Cody. I'd hate to fight a Director with only the Force to rely on."

"The Force is not to be taken lightly."

"But it's an intricate tool that requires more." Motormouth sighed. "I'd give anything to have my twin blasters right now."

"And I my lightsaber, but we do not have those. So we need to survive on wit." Ahsoka said.

"As long as you're by side, I believe we can escape this fortress of doom."

"Likewise."

…..

Silence fell upon the pair as Ahsoka led them down a dark, dank corridor to who knows where. Neither dared to speak as they followed the obscure signs printed on the walls and searched for operating or surgery rooms. Doctors down here were more abundant. However, none of them spoke to the pair as they passed by. It worried Ahsoka and she wondered if they went to alert somebody. Above them, she wondered if the Director had returned to a missing victim and destroyed blueprints. Maybe the floors did not communicate with one another?

Ahsoka had to compose herself after a loud crash sounded from behind a door as they walked by. Motormouth went to reassure her, but was deterred from it when another doctor appeared from the gloom. _We'll never find our way around like this. _Ahsoka thought. _But there's too much at stake. And I don't dare ask them where anything is. _She eyed a trio of uniformed beings as they passed in front of them.

With a bit of luck, the pair found themselves looking at a large map they had found several feet down and key printed onto the wall gleaming red.

"Am I the only one who can't understand this map?" Motormouth whispered only when he was an inch from her head.

"I'm lost too." Ahsoka's eyes scanned it over and over again trying to make head or tail. This map was not Aurebesh and she couldn't understand the language used. The characters were all too similar to the other.

"Lotta help that did." She muttered and turned away.

"Halt." A voice commanded behind them in a familiar apathetic tone. They turned and watched as a doctor leisurely approached. "What business do you have down here?"

"I am to transfer this clone trooper to the Howitzers for surgery." Ahsoka replied in the same tone. Motormouth kept his gaze down.

"No, the Howitzers already have their clone trooper prepped and ready." The doctor remarked. A flutter of fear went through Ahsoka but she smothered it.

"There has been a mistake." She so wanted to say sternly, but had to keep her tone boring and emotionless. "It seems there was a mix-up with the clone troopers, with them looking so similar, and the wrong clone was delivered here. I have brought the right one and will be taking the other back."

The doctor was silent and seemed to ponder this. Motormouth was tense and Ahsoka was beginning to worry her lie was transparent.

"We shall confirm this. Follow me to Surgery Room II." The doctor turned around and began to follow a path from memory. Ahsoka and Motormouth followed silently and closely.

The doctor opened a door that had no label, the pair would have never been able to find this room on their own, and revealed three more doctors and Commander Cody, laying on a durasteel operating table with an anesthesia mask on. Ahsoka took a step forward before turning to Motormouth.

"Get down." She ordered in a low tone. Every doctor snapped to attention at the anomaly. Without any confusion in the order, Motormouth dropped to his stomach just before Ahsoka unleashed a devastating Force wave, sending the doctor that led them here to the side, snapping his neck and the other three were thrown against surgery racks, becoming tangled in equipment and severing two of their spines. The sound was deafening and overhead, the lights blacked out for a few seconds. Cody grimaced but did not wake.

"Blast Ahsoka!" Motormouth exclaimed from the floor. The Padawan staggered and he leapt up to catch her.

"I'm okay…get Cody!" She steadied herself as he left her. Delicately, he pulled off the mask and detached any remaining equipment.

"Commander?" He shook Cody, trying to wake him. The anesthesia had done its work and the clone was in a deep, drugged sleep.

"Blast." Lifting him into his arms, Motormouth stepped over a tall rack that had fallen over. Ahsoka stepped into the hallway

"No doubt somebody heard that. We need to get back to the turbolift and recover some weapons!"

….

They ran now. Ahsoka tore up the floor in the lead. All the lights in the corridor were on, but still dim and everything was gloomy. Motormouth clutched Cody tightly. His pace was slower, but still running. Fortunately, the Togruta had memorized the path the doctor had led them down and in just a few moments, they were face to face with the useless map again. She stopped dead.

"Do you remember how we got here from the turbolift?" She asked.

"No? We were wandering for a long time." Motormouth panted, catching his breath. Cody was still limp and asleep. "We never took a definitive path. Besides, I was just following you!"

Ahsoka cursed and clenched a fist. She faced the map and searched for anything that could possibly be a turbolift.

"There!" She pointed.

"You think that's it?"

"I'm sure of it."

The level was square from what the map depicted. The corridors were in a grid format and the grayed areas had to have been different rooms. At the top of the map in a corridor was a small red, glowing square.

"If that's not a turbolift, I don't know what is." Ahsoka tried to discern where they were.

"You there." Both whipped around to see a doctor, still walking nonchalantly and speaking like a droid, approaching them with what appeared to be an electro staff.

"Great." Motormouth muttered. Ahsoka stepped in front of him and with the Force, yanked the staff from its hands and she caught it in the air. The doctor looked momentarily bewildered, if possible, before activating a comlink.

"There in section B-2-"

Ahsoka lunged forward and stabbed the electrified prongs into its chest, silencing and perhaps killing it. It crumpled to the floor with a thud.

"Yes? Doctor? Where did you go you great sleaze?" A deep and ominous voice was coming from the comlink. Ahsoka crushed it with her foot and hoped it would be impossible to trace now.

"We need to get moving!" Motormouth urged. Cody winced and his eyelids fluttered. Nobody noticed as they darted from the area.

"If we go far enough to find a corner, we can follow it all the way to that turbolift and get out of here." Ahsoka said, still carrying the only weapon they had now.

"Let's just hope we don't have any more unwanted guests." The commander griped.

"I got our backs. The doctors are weak and slow. It's the Directors I'm worried about." Ahsoka kept glancing behind them and down other hallway to make sure they didn't attract attention.

"We need Skywalker and Kenobi."

"I agree. When we get off this level, we go for a control room. Maybe it can tell us a little bit more about what this vile place is and where our friends are."

"I just hope they haven't met a grim end."

"We're about to find out."


	19. Vertigo

_Zeres_

_Eonin, Executive Floor_

In the turbolift, Motormouth had set Cody on the floor to stretch and accept the electro staff as a weapon. Ahsoka was situated on the floor, gently slapping the side of the commander's face to wake him.

"When we arrive at the top floor, where I suspect our control room will be located, I want you to hide somewhere with him until he wakes up." Ahsoka ordered. Motormouth looked dumbstruck.

"You mean you want us to split up?"

"Just for a short while. Hauling around an unconscious Cody is going to slow us down and I don't trust leaving him somewhere to be found."

"Ahsoka, us splitting up is not going to end well. We have no means of contacting each other."

"Then you're just going to have to trust me." She peeled off the helmet and her aqua eyes bore into his dark sienna ones.

"I _do _trust you Ahsoka."

"Then keep the electro staff close and hide until Cody is awake." She tried once more to rouse him from the drugged sleep. Her best response was a twitch of his eyelid and a wince.

"Yes commander." Motormouth capitulated to her request. The turbolift gave a soft ding indicating it reached its destination and the doors slid open to reveal a completely different floor plan. The white steel floors and ceilings remained, but every so often were wide horizontal windows stretching across several feet. Grey steel offset the white of the corridor and the lights were dimmed. Outside the windows, night had evidently fallen and mountains punctured the twilight sky.

Ahsoka had adjusted the beige helmet back over her head and stepped out to survey the new territory. _I'm very nervous about the lack of security cameras. We must be overlooking them or they must be cleverly disguised. _Her eyes searched every crevice of the ceiling and even the floors and turned up nothing. Motormouth handed off the staff to Ahsoka as he lifted Cody into his arms again.

"Once Skywalker and Kenobi are freed, perhaps we can expedite this escaping process." Ahsoka said very quietly. The utter lack of discovery from their captors was unsettling. What if they already knew and now it had become a twisted game of cat and mouse?

"And the rest of our squad. I shudder to think what they are enduring."

"I'm going to find another supply closet or something. You can stay there with Cody while I explore. Since I am disguised as a doctor I will be more inconspicuous than you." Ahsoka turned her head to gaze out the long window as they passed. The glass reflected them walking by as if they were ghosts.

"I am still trying to accept the fact chasing a Separatist shuttle led to this horror." Motormouth said quietly. Ahsoka nodded.

"Although I have become convinced it is not Separatists. Whatever they are, they are not traditional in the Separatist ways. Perhaps they hocked some of the Seppies equipment and twisted it for their convenience."

"But what do they need clones for?"

"I don't know." Ahsoka focused back down the hall as the window turned to steel. "But this is dark. Too dark and sick for even Separatists or crime lords."

"Cody was right. The distress signal was either the missing clones desperate to escape, or just a slimy trick to lure Republic clones here." Motormouth's tone darkened and he shifted Cody in his arms, who gave grunt and his eyelids fluttered.

"I think he's coming to soon."

"It's about time. But he's been with us the majority of the time. He can't really tell us anything new." She gave an incredibly exaggerated sigh. "I wish Rex was here. I haven't seen or heard from him since he was taken from us in the freezer."

Motormouth stiffened.

"He's tougher than nails. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's kicking ass to escape."

"I hope so." Ahsoka gripped the electro staff tighter than necessary.

As they rounded several empty corridors, Ahsoka came across a door and experimentally opened it. With luck, it was a small closet that housed odd cleaning contraptions. Motormouth dropped Cody to his feet and propped him sitting against the wall. He reached out and took the staff from Ahsoka.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" He held her wrist in his hand, hoping she'd reconsider. Ahsoka nodded.

"You'll be safer here. Besides, I have this disguise. I just need to access a control room long enough to find out what's going on and where my masters are.

"And what if there turns out to be no control room? What then?"

Ahsoka furiously shook her head, displacing the helmet slightly.

"They can't just run a place of this magnitude without order! There has to be a systems operation around here!"

"Okay! Okay!" He held his hands up in defense. "Just promise me you'll make it back here safe."

Ahsoka righted her helmet and smiled under its cover.

"I will." She went to say something else, but stopped herself. There was no reason to worry him anymore.

"May the force be with you." He whispered sincerely. Ahsoka nodded before shutting the door on him.

_A control room should be centrally located and at the bridge-or in this case at the top of the building. Stupid when you think about it. If the control room is at the top of the tower, a bomber could just fly by and take it out. _She rounded a corner and realized it curved around like a halved circle and the window expanded to the floor to the ceiling and showcased rolling expanses of forests, distant mountains hulking in the gloom, and twin moons illuminating the land in stardust lavender. _Ideal location for a stressed sadist. _She smirked gruffly and swiveled her head around. Two black leather chairs sat in the center of the room and behind them-

_Gotcha. _Ahsoka grinned and approached a steely grey door that had been left ajar. Her skin prickled as she did. Her montrals tingled, sensing something foreboding and evil. _Use the force. _She reassured. _Whatever happens, defend yourself. Skywalker would prefer to die in a maelstrom than just lay down and accept death. _Pushing the door open, she flinched as it gave a creak. Ahsoka straightened up and tried to appear inconspicuous. When she glanced up, she noticed the door was corporately labeled

'WARDEN' and below that,

'COMMAND CENTER: NO ACCESS PERMITTED'.

_Well that's just too bad. _

The inside of the command center was suspiciously empty. A lofty chair designed for the warden she assumed, obstructed a massive wall of flickering monitors. Ahsoka's heart dropped and she nearly fell to her knees in shock. On one screen in the middle, she saw Obi-Wan and Anakin dangling from an electric blue cord. Both appeared drained of energy and hope. Even Anakin, who would've fought to the death hung limp and his head bent forward. The adjacent screen showed several unoccupied surgery rooms, their diabolical tools lining sterile trays by the operating table. Below that, she could see Fives, hitting the back of his head over and over against a wall. Tears stained his cheeks and his fists were clenched tightly enough to turn his knuckles white. Without realizing it, Ahsoka had gotten close enough to the setup to bump her hip into the black marble desk. An array of keyboards, speakers and what looked like data chips were scattered across the surface. A holo blinked on the desk, indicating somebody tried to contact it. _This…this is…This is it. _She told herself.

At that exact moment, a wretched chill went through her spine and she whipped around. Someone was coming. Scrambling, she found her way behind the monument of equipment and wires and ducked to the floor just as footsteps entered the room. Ahsoka bent her head to the ground, hoping to catch even a glimpse of the master mind behind all this treachery. No such luck, since whoever it was had parked them self in the chair quickly and put their feet up on the desk. She could not see their legs.

"Oh? And may this be?"

Ahsoka's breath hitched and her blood turned to ice in her veins. _He's found me! _The Warden clicked a button on the desk and the ethereal blue of a hologram illuminated the small, dark space. The Padawan wanted to give a tremendous sigh of relief but remained composed. He hadn't discovered her yet. And if she was careful, perhaps he never would. He had only been speaking about the message on the blinking holo device from earlier.

"Do you have any new Republic news?" A familiar voice made Ahsoka's skin prickle. _Dooku? That's Dooku's voice? Why is the Warden talking to him!? _She went to clamp a hand over her mouth but the helmet prevented her from doing so.

"No, count," the Warden was brave, or perhaps foolish for scolding the Sith Lord in such a curt tone, "I have discussed previously, clone troopers are difficult to come across so far out in these reaches of the galaxy. Our victims grow fewer and fewer. However, if it so interests you since it does not me, we ensnared two Jedi this week."

"Jedi?" Dooku's interest was hard to conceal and Ahsoka could almost feel his excitement. "Identify them." He commanded. The Warden gave a sneering smirk and the creak of a chair indicated he was shifting about. Though nothing about his voice or movements revealed he was uncomfortable. In fact, it seemed the Warden was who should be feared here.

"Identify them? I have been trying for several days. They reveal nothing, and neither do I for free." The Warden paused and seemed to consider something. "If you are so smitten with Jedi, come claim them yourself. We have no such need for beings like them. Impossible to operate on, fiery, unpredictable tempers, it's a mess."

"Zeres is no short distance. How do I know you even _have _Jedi?" Dooku's patience wore thinner and thinner like melting ice. "Jedi do not extend that far into wild space."

"I guess you don't." The Warden uttered a sinister chuckle. _He's insane…either that or _I _should be scared of _him_. _Ahsoka touched her head to the floor and tried to relax. Her body was far too tense and she was bound to make a mistake. "But, no skin off my teeth, I can simply eradicate them and move on. I thought you wanted Republic information the clones screamed out as their last dying words anyhow."

"My conditions are subject to change," Dooku's voice went dangerously low, "and I just so happen to be in the market for Jedi. Now, name your price."

A tense silence passed between the two and finally the Warden sighed.

"Best coordinate a visit to me. I do not do long distance negotiations." With that, he ended the transmission. Ahsoka realized she was gaping.

"Insignificant moron." He whispered to himself and there was a clatter of tiny metal on the surface. "Director Regis, what is it? You've been contacting me for the last twenty minutes."

"My clone is missing. And I just noticed my Togruta girl is too."

This time Ahsoka did almost gasp and she sank her teeth into her tongue to stop herself.

"That is your problem, not mine. I oversee anything that tries to leave the facility, whether physical, mental or by other means of communications outside these walls."

A loud and angry screech was heard. And it did remind Ahsoka of Grievous. Maybe it was his long lost and utterly crazy cousin.

"Send out your doctors. I'm sure they will turn up something." The Warden ended the call and the chair skidded across the floor as he jumped down from it and vanished through the door. Ahsoka flinched as it slammed loudly behind him.

After waiting and listening intently, she decided it was safe to come out. All the chips on the desk had disappeared as well as the holo communicator. _Got to work fast. But I can't do anything drastic too soon or he'll come running right back. _Ahsoka hesitantly sunk into the deep, black chair and gazed up at the many monitors. _Masters first. They might help. _Her eyes scanned for a way to communicate with them. There was a long necked speaker present, jutting out from the wall. Eventually, she managed to select a monitor with speaker recognition and engaged the function. A green light on the speaker indicated it was ready to use.

"Skyguy?" She tested tentatively, "It's me, Ahsoka Tano."

Slowly, and almost doubtfully, he raised his head to stare at the ceiling.

"Snips? Snips is that really you?" His voice had not lost its vigor.

"It could be a trap." Obi-Wan whispered quietly over his shoulder.

"No, master Kenobi, it's not a trap. I escaped from one of the lower prisons and found my way to the control room at the top of the facility. I managed to free Commander Motormouth and Cody already."

At this, both their heads snapped up.

"Can you prove it's you?" Obi-Wan continued.

"No, I suppose I cannot. But listen, I don't have much time. In about thirty seconds I'm going to shut the power off to all the floors. There, you should be free from the current. And after that…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't have a plan."

"That will never work!" Obi-Wan insisted.

"It's worth a shot!" Anakin said, his strength was returning.

"I don't know where our weapons are though."

"As long as we're free and together, we can make it far." Obi-Wan reassured.

"Right." A button blinked rapidly in a red beside her. Her eyes flicked to it as she was distracted. "I'll see what information I can gather here first before I do." She leaned forward and noticed a set of logs labeled with a date from several days ago, and Chips-10. _Chips? What the hell are chips? _Earlier, there were several _chips _on the desk surface. Drawn in by curiosity, she clicked on that log entry.

10 New Victims.

7 Chips installed traditionally.

2 are Jedi. No Chips.

1 Togruta. Chip not installed traditionally.

Ahsoka felt the breath knocked out her lungs and the edges of her vision blurred. It seemed as if the floor had dropped out beneath her and left her spiraling down into a whirlwind of confusion and new sinister plans. _Installed….in us?_ There was another log entry following,

2 Chips removed. Clones deceased.

Another wave of terror gripped her as she thought of their company of ten. _Who? Who has died? _Her heart pounded against her ribcage.

"Ahsoka?" The speaker was still on and she scarcely heard Anakin asking for her. "Anytime now."

"I-I'm sorry…" at a loss for words, she fell back into the chair. The game…had changed.


	20. Transpire

_Zeres_

_Eonin, Supply Closet_

Motormouth had a hard time sitting still. The desire, the need to pace or check the hallway was beginning to drive him crazy. Cody was slumped against the wall with his head on his shoulder. With no way to contact Ahsoka, the commander felt even more uneasy. If they captured them all again…it wouldn't be pretty. He knew he shouldn't have just let Ahsoka go on by herself. The little Togruta was tough that was for sure, but against an evil such as this?

Cody suddenly flinched, startling Motormouth, and made to stand but fell back against the ground.

"Shhh, commander, we can't risk being discovered. You need to keep quiet." He reassured the other clone and put a hand on his arm.

"Where am I?" Cody mumbled almost incoherently. His eyes scanned the dim room quickly and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are we in a maintenance closet?"

"Ahsoka's breaking into the main control room to see if she can find General Skywalker and Kenobi. You were still unconscious and she told me to wait here with you until you woke up."

"Ahsoka? You two saved me then?" He steadied himself against the wall.

"I knew about it, and we went down to find you together after she rescued me. I was going to be operated on and I overheard the doctors saying they were prepping you for the Howitzers surgery."

"Howitzers…" Cody pondered silently for a moment. "They're…the conjoined twins right?"

"Yep. And the worst to be under."

Cody shuddered and folded his legs beneath him to sit comfortably.

"How long has Ahsoka been gone?"

"Too long. I just hope-" The dim light overhead cut out and there was a low rumbling chorus of failing appliances all around them. Everything went completely and eerily silent. Motormouth instinctively gripped the electro staff.

"What?" Cody began.

"That was Ahsoka." Motormouth launched to his feet. "She was going to cut the power long enough for Generals Skywalker and Kenobi to escape."

"Where is everyone? Do we even know if half of us are still alive?"

"We will." Motormouth snapped. "Soon we will."

….

As soon as Ahsoka hit the switch, every light on the panel went out and every screen turned black, showing her reflection. What had she expected? When she hit the power she wouldn't be able to watch and ascertain that her masters had escaped. And the worst part, she still had no idea how big this place was or where anybody was.

Slowly and with a bit of difficulty, she rose out of the chair. Her mind was still in haze. _Chips…chips installed in us…why? Where? Traditionally…_She thought as logically as possible while she maneuvered down the dark corridor. She kept one hand to the right wall. _Traditionally means all of them share the same location of the chip. But I don't. And Anakin and Obi-Wan do not have chips. That's good I suppose. But…_She shuddered hard. _Two of us are dead…dead…_Her teeth sank into her lip as her thoughts brought her to a dark place. Jesse, Kix, Fives, Echo, Rex all lying dead and rotting in this hellish facility forever. There was no way of telling who had perished until they reconvened. _We need outside help. We need to contact the Republic. _

Sprinting down the steel halls was easier now. None of the lights worked, certainly none of the 'cameras' worked either now. Ahsoka was still uncertain if they even had cameras, but for now, she did not worry. _I'll check the freezer for Cole and ask him what he knows…_The Togruta found her way back to the closet she had left Motormouth and Cody in. The door had automatically opened, probably a procedure they did automatically to prevent people from getting trapped. Both clones were pressed on either side of the door trying to avoid being seen.

"Ahsoka!" Motormouth gave a hoarse whisper. Ahsoka ducked into the closet and moved close to him.

"I found Anakin and Obi-Wan. They were being restrained by a current. I shut off the power to the entire building. I just hope they can manage to find their way around and eventually to us. Now follow me back to the freezer."

"What the hell for?"

"I need to find Cole and ask him how to get out of here. He said there's been a few escape attempts on his behalf and other clones have tried too. Maybe he knows something we don't. It can't hurt."

"It can. We can be captured." Cody spoke up. "But things are in motion and can't be undone. So let's go. I need to shake this sleepiness off."

"We're at the very top of the building. The turbolift brought us to the upper most level. So we need to find our way down again." Ahsoka stated.

"The turbolift. We use it and go to either 'freezer', '0-0', or just the lowest button on the panel." Motormouth suggested. The clones flanked Ahsoka on either side as they traversed down the dark path. Only the emergency lights provided a haphazard way through the labyrinth. Ahsoka wondered if she should explain the chips now to them. She glanced to the side at Motormouth. He wore a steely, grim expression and his nickname had become very unfitting for him. Cody on her right looked haunted and tired. Behind his eyes was fear and a mounting, untamable apprehension. It didn't leak through on his face however. No, clones were bred and trained for the brutality of an endless war. But this…

"I just realized." Motormouth stopped dead and interrupted her dark thoughts. "The power is out. And that means-"

"The turbolift isn't operational." Cody finished for him.

"Blasted…kriffing…" Ahsoka gritted her teeth. "We take the stairs. If there even are any."

"I guess we'll find out." Cody mumbled quietly. Ahsoka sighed and moved faster down the corridor in hopes to find an alternate route that didn't require power. _I guess we'll find out. That seems to be how we do things now. We wait and see. We'll wait and see about the chips…and we'll wait and see who is dead._

….

"Anakin slow down! You don't know where you're going!" Obi-Wan whispered in a scolding tone.

"No I don't, but I can sense Ahsoka is close. That's what I'm going for."

"Just don't set off any traps or fall down another hole!"

Anakin almost laughed at that, but instead it sounded like a stubborn snort.

"If Ahsoka did make it to that control room, we need to find her. She probably knows her way around and where the rest of our company is." Obi-Wan whispered as they jogged past a couple open rooms.

"Blast, stop running. We have to be stealthy. I have no idea what is near these open doors." Anakin warned.

"It's probably a security measure." Obi-Wan ducked down and made his way to what looked like a hangar door. "To prevent people from being trapped in rooms. I wonder if that means every door is open. And our company will be free."

"I hope so. It'd make it easier."

The hangar door had malfunctioned and was only partially open. With the force and teamwork, the Jedi pried open the door with a grinding of metal and snuck in. A shiver ran down Anakin's spine and he put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"That's a Solar Sailor." He whispered. "Count Dooku's Solar Sailor."

"What do you suppose he's doing all the way out here?"

"I don't know. Maybe this is his vacation home of horrors." Anakin went silent and his eyes scanned the rest of the hangar. In the corner, the _Twilight _sat idle and in a state of disrepair. Yet, it still looked as if it would run. "We need to find him."

"Anakin, we have no idea what's here. We've been trapped in that room since capture."

"Then it's time to explore while everything is down." And he walked out of the hangars.

"We need to find our weapons and our company first." Obi-Wan said sternly. "Their health and safety is a priority."

Anakin clenched a fist and peered down the corridor they had just left.

"I can still sense Ahsoka. We should try to find her first. And make sure she's okay. I don't like the fact that she's running around freely. She's bound to get herself captured again. We all are."


	21. False Liberation

_Zeres_

_Eonin, 0-0_

There were stairs. Luckily. However, it was an endless, spiraling labyrinth in the dark. The staircase wasn't well lit and Cody had to cling to Motormouth in his still dazed state to hold himself up. Ahsoka kept in front of them, the force as her weapon. Motormouth held onto the electro staff but left it deactivated. The sound and light would attract attention.

"This is making me nervous." Motormouth admitted. "How come nobody's sent droids or whatever to recapture us?"

"I don't know." Ahsoka squinted at a sign in the dark. It read 0-0. They learned that was the freezer. "I think we should just focus on regrouping and getting the hell out of here."

"Sounds like a plan." Cody muttered.

"But it doesn't feel right. I've been captured before and escaped before. By now there would be tons of battle droids scoping the place out for us."

"Which is what makes this place even creepier and more sinister than Separatists." Ahsoka said in a dark voice. "Maybe they don't need them to look for us. Or maybe this is still part of how they operate. We go paranoid looking for an escape or let down our guard."

"Damn Commander Tano, you really know how to creep a brother out." Cody said. He was walking on his own now as they followed the corridor that led back to the freezer.

"Sorry. It wasn't my intention but…eh." She came across the door to section 0-0. It was wide open, dim inside and very, very cold. "You two stay out here in case there's a trap."

"Are you sure?" Motormouth moved to go with her.

"I'm going in for a quick look. It'll be fine, but I don't want us to get separated if the power comes back on and closes the door."

"Good point."

Ahsoka passed through and immediately noticed every clone that had previously occupied this room was absent. Even the one that could not walk. _I guess everyone is still desperate for a taste of freedom._ At the end of the room, she noticed also that the eerie thick door was slightly ajar. Her skin prickled, not from the cold and warily she proceeded forward. Something drew her to that door. Distantly, she recalled her dream, and the horrors she uncovered inside.

Slowly, reluctantly, and carefully she pried the door open and stared inside. The smell, though stagnated by the cold, was revolting. Years and years of corpses festering in this room with no ventilation-

Ahsoka nearly vomited, but she had nothing to give up. Piles of bodies completely covered the floor and on some of the walls looked like claw marks. A hard shudder left her skin in goosebumps. Her eyes watered and then she caught sight of a familiar symbol. A dark blue handprint amidst the armor of an ARC trooper. Realization struck her hard in the chest.

Echo.

It was Echo, lifeless and trapped forever among all these deceased brothers. Beside him, she saw a clone trooper with his left leg slaughtered to the knee. Eventually, she recognized the second clone as Jesse. Ahsoka staggered backwards with terror in her eyes. Her mind spun, blurring the edges of the room and the Togruta braced herself against the nearest wall to keep herself from fainting. _Found them._

….

"What happened? Ahsoka? What did you see?" Motormouth leapt to her side when she emerged with a stone cold expression. She passed him without any acknowledgement. Cody looked worried and bent forward slightly to catch her eye.

"Commander?"

"I found them." She said in a dead voice. "Jesse and Echo." Without stopping, she continued down the dark corridor. "They're gone."

"Ahsoka- what?" Motormouth lurched forward to take her shoulder. Ahsoka stopped when he did.

"They were in that room at the end of the hall. They're dead."

Cody muttered a dark curse and he fell back against the wall in anguish. Ahsoka clenched her fists and turned around.

"There's something I should mention." Both clones stared, not ready to accept any more grief. "When I accessed the control room. I saw something called, 'chips'. In a log, I read that we were documented. It said 10 arrivals. 2 are Jedi and no chips. The rest were clones, chips installed traditionally. 1 Togruta. Chip not installed traditionally. These chips are inside all of us. I believe they are meant to track our movements. If we escape, they know our exact location. That's why, I assume, no one is hunting us. They know where we are already."

"Krif." Cody pounded the wall behind him with a fist.

"We need outside help." Motormouth said somberly.

"I know. We need to regroup, find a safe place to hide, and then send one of us back to the control room to contact the Jedi Order for help. This is way beyond us."

….

There was a sound of someone cursing in the darkness. Immediately, all three tensed and readied to attack. Slowly, Ahsoka peered around the corner. In the gloom, she could identify the clone trooper Cole trying to access a ventilation tunnel. It appeared to be nailed shut.

"It's just Cole." She whispered right next to Motormouth's ear. He had one hand on her shoulder and the other holding the electro staff. Cody was pressed up against him watching the path they had just taken against someone was following them.

"He's probably unarmed." Motormouth whispered against her head. "We should interrogate him. He knows way more than we do."

"If we go after him now, he'll run."

"One way to find out."

Ahsoka nodded then crept away from the wall. Cole was facing away from her and didn't see her coming.

"So you made it out too?" She said softly. It didn't matter, he flinched violently and wheeled around before crashing onto the floor, his droid leg unstable.

"Krif you kriffing Togruta!" He cursed. Motormouth gritted his teeth and shoved the point of the electro staff under his chin.

"Watch it, or this goes through your head."

"Oh, is this how you treat valuable resources around here?" He snarled, clearly not threatened anymore. "That's right. I know you guys need me to get out of here."

"Actually we just finished a self-guided tour." Cody said. "We know enough."

Cole smirked.  
"Enough won't get you out of here. In fact, even if we do escape, we die."

"The chips?" Ahsoka whispered. Cole slowly looked back in her direction.

"So you found out about those?"

"You knew? And you didn't tell us?" Motormouth said sternly.

"I never thought you'd get out of the freezer. When you were called for surgery I knew you'd be back though. At the end of the line, in the last door in freezer." Cole snarled. He was still sitting on the ground. There were blood stains all over his hands and arms.

"I saw that too." Ahsoka said softly. "All the dead clones end up there."

"I figured that out when they dragged human shaped bags into that room." Cole moved to stand.

"We're wasting time." Cody exclaimed. "Do you know where a hangar is in here? The power can come back on any moment."

"I've never seen a hangar. I've never been off this level. They lull you into a false sense of safety, then they come for you."

"Who?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, Regis's assistant. And being caught by her is…" for the first time, he trailed off and his voice had gotten soft, afraid almost. Ahsoka suddenly gave a small gasp and looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"What is it?" Motormouth and Cody said simultaneously.

"M-my masters!" She mouthed. "I can sense them! I can feel they're close by." She whipped around to the direction they had just come from.

"We need to backtrack. I can feel their presence stronger this way." Ahsoka didn't wait for them to follow as she lightly jogged down the dim corridor. Motormouth sprang into action and fell into step beside her as Cody held up the rear. Cole staggered on his leg before moving to follow them. If he could keep close enough, perhaps they'd be his salvation.

_Zeres_

_Eonin, Mogens's Lair_

_Before the power failure_

Rex had more goosebumps on his skin now than he ever had. All those close calls with blaster fire, almost behind beheaded by General Grievous, being force choked by Asajj Ventress, nothing quite compared to this. Mogens's attention span was short and he was quick to bore or anger. Whenever Rex had been slow to respond to a demand, the vines gave him tiny cuts along his legs. Though tiny, they hurt, and he didn't want to take chances with toxins. Nefara, the hound of hell, always sat on Mogens's left. And Rex could tell the hound hated its master as much or probably more than Rex did. The second Mogens turned his head, the hound would be slinking away into the darkness. _I wish I could mind control the hound to kill this filthy bastard. _Rex shuddered. Even though the heat and humidity was unbearable and he had constant sweat dripping down his spine, he felt cold and alone. He felt as if he was the only one this far out of the way, the only one who was completely alone here. His slave attire also made him feel like a piece of property. He never felt more uncomfortable or out of touch with his inner soldier in his entire life.

"Blasting, bleeding idiot!" Mogens suddenly screeched, making Rex flinch. Fortunately, he had a small monitor on the arm of his chair displaying some bizarre entertainment that kept him mostly distracted. Reacting to Rex's flinch, a vine curled tighter around his thigh and ventured too close for comfort. The captain learned the vines originated from Mogens's back. His spine was exposed and innumerable vines in varying sizes and length dominated his habitat.

"I must admit," it took Rex a moment to realize Mogens was speaking to him, "I am very impressed you have not tried to escape yet." He snaked a thin vine around Rex's throat and pushed his head to look at Mogens. The vine curled around his ear and Rex forced himself not to flinch.

"It'd be a little difficult," he kept his voice calm, "in my position. I am a little tied up at the moment."

"Well dearie me," Mogens said in a sickeningly sweet voice that chilled Rex's spine, "I do declare that I just cannot keep them off you. Though I must admit you are boring me." With that, each vine retracted and a large one shoved Rex off the platform. "We'll play a little game. Go on, humor me! Just try to escape!"

Rex turned on him with a suspicious eye.

"Go on! Let's see how smart you are. I know you're just dying to leave. The door is only a couple feet away." Mogens's pig like eyes stared at him through a veil of desire and eagerness.

"What's the point?" You have vines everywhere they will stop me where I stand."

"Because I cannot bother myself with getting up." _Because you're fat? _Rex thought. "It's only fair that I snag you with them. Hell! I won't even call Nefara on you."

"You can't keep your word. You said it yourself anyway, the door to your lair won't open unless you operate it from your console. So what's the point in me running to the door?"

"To provide me with entertainment. And if you cannot do that," Rex flinched as Mogens's vines trailed up his legs and branched out to pin his arms to his sides, "I guess I'll have to find another way to entertain myself…"

"All right! All right! I'll do it!" Rex shouted, struggling against the vines. Mogens released him with a dark chuckle. The second he did, Rex shimmied out of the way, and then the entire habitat went pitch black.

"NO! This can't be a power failure! My heat will turn off!" Mogens roared. Rex turned his head to look at a dim glow emanating from behind him. His heart fluttered in disbelief at his luck. The door, the door that led out of this inferno, was open. Without a second to waste, afraid that it was just a momentary lapse in power, he sprinted to the door.

"NOOO!" Mogens screamed and Rex could hear dozens of vines reaching for him. Evading capture, he passed the doorway and sprinted faster than he ever had. Behind him, he heard the horrifying part scream part road of Mogens losing his prize and losing the game.

Rex didn't stop running until his heart beating was deafening him and sweat dripped into his eyes. He couldn't hear Mogens anymore. He couldn't anything. Power failures always had that eerie complete absence of sound.

"Blast." He mouthed. Even that sounded loud to him. _I have no idea where I am. I have no idea where the others are. To make this even worse, I'm still wearing this. _He glanced briefly down to the slit skirt and plated gold necklace he wore. _I hope Ahsoka's okay. And General Kenobi and Skywalker. Maybe they've already escaped and are working on a way out. I know them both very well, and I have confidence they can get us out of here. I just need to find them._


	22. Price to Pay

"How do you know where you're going now?" Obi-Wan whispered hoarsely to Anakin who was several yards from him. He had lost track of Ahsoka a few minutes after initially sensing her. Most of their time had been spent scanning corridors and glancing around like two lost tourists with no particular path in mind. Moments earlier, Anakin had finally given a violent start and shot down one of the corridors, taking winding paths and hot on the scent of something Obi-Wan wasn't. Anakin said he felt Ahsoka's presence close by every now and again and wanted to track her down before he lost it completely. It was their only lead in this strange place, and Ahsoka knew more than both of them combined. She was their salvation in this strange hell.

"I was following where her presence was strongest." Anakin answered calmly, though he was tense and jittery. "Either she's been in these places before or something else entirely."

"I usually sense you if you're near or in a strong emotional state. I've never experienced where you've been previously."

"Again, I don't know what I was following. I just knew it was her."

"I don't know if the lack of others is a good thing or bad."

"I agree. It feels too quiet and calm, especially after Ahsoka hit the power." Anakin was reluctant to run a hand along the wall. He wanted to see if it would help him locate her, but feared setting off a trap that did not require power. It was still down, but there was no telling when it'd return. Part of him hoped it stayed down, but also having a guiding light in the nearly pitch black halls would be beneficial. Not to mention they'd need access to outside communications soon.

"I think it'd be prudent to find her first," Obi-Wan voiced his plan, "ask her what she knows, find our weapons or possibly a communication room to hijack, then contact outside help. Master Yoda or perhaps the Jedi Council. This is too big to handle ourselves."

"Yeah, I agree with you. But if we can get everyone united maybe we can just get back to the _Twilight _and fly out here." Anakin suggested. He flinched as his hand fell through an open space. It was a doorway leading into a small storage.

"But that poses the risk of them shooting us down as we're leaving." Obi-Wan hesitated. "Not to mention Count Dooku is here."

"Right. But we don't know if we'll get close to him." Anakin wondered for a moment. Obi-Wan shook his head.

'We need to move. We'll worry about capturing Dooku when we're in less of a situation ourselves."

Anakin took off running again without warning, making Obi-Wan chase after him in exasperation.

"You got to stop taking off wi-" Obi-Wan was abruptly cut off by Anakin shushing him as they both slid to a stop. Both Jedi strained to hear in the empty steel corridors. Faintly, they could hear something running toward them from the darkness. Falling into a defensive stance, Obi-Wan prepared to use the force against this unseen entity. Anakin was stiff, but didn't move into an attack position. A small shape came barreling past twenty feet from them and disappeared into the next hall. It had striking orange skin and brightly colored montrals. Both Jedi held their breath and prepared to move. Before they could, the figure backed into sight again.

"Master!" Ahsoka called in a hesitant voice, "is that you?" She was dressed in a strange beige suit with a helmet clutched at her side.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin dashed forward to meet her in a tight embrace, relieved she looked well. Not far behind her was Commanders Cody and Motormouth looking worse for wear, but still in good shape. Motormouth held an electro staff and both were left only in their body gloves.

"I knew I'd find you!" Ahsoka exclaimed breathlessly, "after I shut down the power, I worried. But I knew the force would lead me to you."

"Where have you been? What has happened? Are we dealing with Separatists? Dooku is here." Anakin was breathless too, from asking questions in rapid succession. Ahsoka's brow furrowed.

"Hold on…We've been in the freezer from the start. It's like a cold storage prison. Cody and Motormouth were going to surgery but I deactivated the ray shield and freed them. I h-" She went quiet suddenly and dropped her head. Anakin held onto her arm reassuringly. "Master…Echo and Jesse are dead."

It hit them in chest with a dull strike. Anakin's eyes closed in respect and he tensed in anger.

"We need to gather everybody we can." Obi-Wan cut in. "And contact the Jedi Council. This is too big to handle on our own. We can escape on a ship in the hangar when help arrives. Anakin and I passed it an hour ago."

Ahsoka shook her head slowly, staring straight ahead in apprehension.

"No. We can't leave. When I was at the command center, there were logs that stated we had chips installed in us. Me, and the clones. Except Jesse and Echo, who are dead, their chips were removed. I believe the chips are tracking devices implanted in us. And if we leave..."

"You'll die." Anakin finished in a dark snarl. "I've seen this before with slavers."

"Then we really need to locate our group, weapons, get the chips out, and get out of here." Obi-Wan restated for the hundredth time. Repeating the plan reassured him that they could make it out in one piece. There was a creak in the darkness. Obi-Wan and Anakin sprang into action as Cole hobbled into view.

"Who are you?" Anakin demanded.

"This is Cole. A clone sergeant in the freezer that was trapped with us. He knows this place better than all of us." Cody answered, fully alert by this point.

"Oh good, more Jedi." Cole spat in a condescending voice. "Good load you do when we're out dying at your feet and you barely lift a finger."

Anakin reacted faster than anybody and raised a hand. Cole's hands went for his own throat and he choked out in surprise and anger. Obi-Wan grabbed his arm and forced it down. Cole staggered back against the wall and reached out to brace himself. Nobody moved to help him.

"See what I mean?" Cole muttered to himself.

"Can you get us out of here?" Obi-Wan asked, letting Anakin turn and walk away.

"I can." Cole fell silent for a moment. "If you get me out of here too."

"We will." Obi-Wan said immediately.

"We're going to get every innocent life out of here. Then blow this place to hell." Ahsoka continued.

"Where can we get our weapons back? And where are the others?" Anakin whipped around and demanded. Cole wasn't intimidated.

"Weapons are usually near the top of the facility. It's in a hierarchy formation. Worst directors are at the bottom. The Warden is at the top. And the hangar is somewhere in between. Hell if I know. I've only escaped twice. And didn't make it far." He absently brushed a hand over his metal leg.

"Communications first." Obi-Wan interrupted. "We need to contact the Jedi council, or else nobody is going anywhere far."

"You can find communication rooms near the top. I ran by one once before I was apprehended. But they're useless without power."

"We should move then. Who knows when the-" Motormouth's sentence was cut off by a sudden appearance of light bathing the entire corridor, "power will turn on…"

"It's time." Anakin said.

…

Rex slowed his pace to meander around the dark corridors. He was hopelessly lost, but far from afraid. Although, his attire made him feel naked. He almost was. After climbing three levels, descending back down one and looping through that floor twice, he stopped and listened. It was dead silent. Never in his life had he experienced quiet like this. A part of his mind kept returning to what would have happened if the power didn't die when it did. Mogens…and his story of the blue-eyed clone kept finding its way into his head. It frightened him, but he'd never let it show.

Nearly two hours of aimless wandering later, Rex heard thudding in the darkness. It sounded like shoeless feet running behind him. Ducking around a corner, he waited, his heart pounding in excitement and apprehension. The shape was tall and human. As it ran by him, Rex sprang up and tackled it to the ground. It gave a manly shout and struggled violently in his grip.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Rex demanded in his most powerful voice. The figure relaxed in his grip.

"Rex? Is that you?" A very familiar voice responded to him.

"Fives?" Rex released him immediately.

"Yeah it's me. How'd you get here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Rex moved to sit up. They sat in the darkness, barely able to make out the features on the other's face. "I've been trapped in my own personal hell. It's like Jabba's mutated cousin."

Fives shuddered noticeably in the gloom.

"Gross." He lowered his head somberly. "I lost Echo. They took him away. I don't know where he is."

"Who's they?"

"The commando droids. We were in a cell together, then I acted out and got us separated. The power went down and my door popped open. I escaped and I've been looking for him for hours."

"If everybody's free now, maybe we can find Masters Kenobi and Skywalker. And Ahsoka."

Fives nodded and got up. As they rose, the lights flashed on in a violent burst of white. Their hands went to shield their eyes. Fives's hand came away first, and he stared at Rex's garments.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

"Ugh, don't mention it. As soon as I can, I'm changing."

"Right…well come on. Now that we have some light, let's find everyone."


	23. Unlikely Savior

_Zeres, Eonin_

_ Unknown_

"He is?" Anakin whipped his head around to look at Ahsoka. The group was traversing down a corridor with Cole in the lead. Supposedly he was leading them to a communication table. Now that the power was on, they could send a distress signal.

"I heard them talking while I was hiding under the Warden's desk." Ahsoka confirmed, nodding her head. "Count Dooku was coming here because the Warden was talking about two Jedi he had no use for. And as for clone troopers, the purpose of them is still unclear. But on the side, the Warden sells the secrets the clones spill during torture to the Separatists."

Motormouth and Cody both shuddered.

"This…this is…" Anakin's face turned red in fury and he fumbled for words dark enough to describe this sadistic operation.

"I know." Ahsoka reassured calmly. "We will get help and they'll all suffer for what they have done."

"We should split up." Obi-Wan ordered and motioned for Ahsoka and Motormouth. "I want you two to locate the weapons room and find our gear and comlinks. Once we have those it will be easier to keep in touch and defend ourselves."

"What if they jam the signal on it anyway?" Cody wondered.

"It's a risk we'll have to take." Obi-Wan said.

"They will toy with us." Ahsoka insisted. "We, except you two," she gestured to Anakin and Obi-Wan, "have chips inside us. If we leave, we die. And they know our location. They've probably sent all the doctors out of the way and have combat droids or director assistants looking for us."

"I'd rather be in the freezer than deal with Regis's assistant." Cole mumbled.

"And who's that?" Motormouth inquired.

"Name? Unknown. She's this gangly, albino thing that crawls around. That's as far as I know. But the rumors are unsettling."

"What are the rumors?" Obi-Wan asked. Cole didn't respond as they came to an intersection. "Anyway, we will figure out how to extract the chips."

"We'll threaten one of the doctors to do it." Anakin said darkly.

"Regis's doctors are the ones who install them. Those doctors were light beige. However, I doubt threatening them would work. They are after all, completely apathetic to everything."

"I'll find a way." Anakin muttered under his breath. Cole stepped forward to direct them.

"If you two head down this hall, right, straight, left, you'll come to the storage where they hold prisoner possessions." He pointed to Ahsoka and Motormouth. "You and you," he pointed to Obi-Wan and Cody, "there will be a communication table you can send a distress call to."

"And me?" Anakin gave him a distrustful and leering look.

"You and I will look for your friends. They will have made their way to the upper floors by now naturally. They always do."

"How do you know so much about this place?"

"Eonin?" Cole hung his head and leaned against the wall. "I used to be one piece. I'd escape many times, making it further each time than the last. And sometimes I'd pretend to be knocked out when they got me. I've heard a lot and I've seen a lot. But since this," he tapped the metal leg, "I don't move far anymore."

"We'll get you out of here." Ahsoka said firmly. "Only if you help us."

Cole stayed silent again, but nodded. "We have little time before things naturally get back on track. Let's move out."

….

"You don't trust Cole…do you Ahsoka?" Motormouth inquired once they were alone. The lights were more helpful than the darkness earlier, but now being spotted was likely. Ahsoka still had no idea why nobody was out looking to recapture them or why no cameras or alarms had sounded.

"I don't know. At this point…" She mulled her words carefully. Saying to use him to get out of here would strike hard in Motormouth's heart and he'd never forget it. Clones were people…not resources. "We can work together and get a safe solution to get every innocent life out of here. Then the Jedi Council can finish this fortress of torture off."

"Hell I hope they can make this far fast. I'd hate to find myself back in that frozen cell or…" Abruptly he went quiet and stopped dead. Ahsoka nearly bumped into him. "Or strapped to a surgical table." His fingers curled around the electro staff.

"Revenge isn't the Jedi way…" Ahsoka whispered. The clone's grip relaxed. "Although it never said anything about clones…"

Motormouth gave a soft laugh, music to Ahsoka's ears in the oppressive silence of the endless corridors. Even she smiled. It had felt like an eternity since she was aboard the safety of the _Resolute. _And even memories of Ryloth's mission were faint. It could not have been longer than a week that they were here. Funny how it worked that way. Although there was nothing funny about any of this. Tenaciously, Ahsoka reached across the gap and slipped her hand into Motormouth's without looking at him. He didn't flinch or even seem to acknowledge what she had done until his fingers caressed over hers and met her grip. Ahsoka's mouth twitched in a smile and her montrals darkened. At least she wasn't alone in this mess.

"Here's the weapons room Cole spoke of." Ahsoka whispered and hit the button with the palm of her hand. The closed door didn't budge and there was no approval sound from the panel beside it. "Right…we got the lights back and everything works against us." Ahsoka reminded herself. Closing her eyes, she reached out with the force and opened it against the will of the command it was under. It flew open and she half expected an alarm to start wailing.

"What if they're still playing cat and mouse with us, but we just don't know it?" Motormouth surmised.

"I'm not sure I believe that any longer. If they were we surely would have seen a doctor, droid or anybody to stop us. I have a feeling this may be a sick trick of the Warden himself."

"Did you see the Warden?"

"No, just his voice. He sounded weird, very sinister and also very young." Ahsoka gave a gasp and ran over to a metallic shelf with a bin. Sticking out of the top was her lightsaber. She seized the bin and dug out her boots, belt and even her Padawan braid. Motormouth identified his green painted armor from afar and made for it. Ahsoka gathered her masters' lightsabers as well. She didn't see Rex's armor anywhere in the room. But his blasters were present as most of their company's weapons were. Motormouth gathered every weapon he could carry.

"We're missing Kix, Fives and Rex was that correct?" Motormouth asked, quickly suiting up in case something happened.

"Correct." She didn't feel the need to reiterate who was dead. _Echo and Jesse. I wonder if the others know…Fives and Kix…_

"Did you say something?" Motormouth's tense voice brought her out of her thought. Because he was tense, she became so also.

"No…I didn't." His twin blasters were gripped tightly in his hands and he had a finger resting on the trigger. "What did you hear?"

"A female voice speaking softly."

Ahsoka maneuvered around the shelves to meet him. Her lightsabers were ready to action.

"I knew splitting up again was a bad idea…"

"What if Cole's not really with us and is in league with them? What if it was a trap?"

"Potentially. Maybe he's a case of Stockholm syndrome and wants to help them recapture us."

"Whatever it is, we need regroup. We have strength in numbers." Motormouth skirted out of the room with Ahsoka at his heels.

"A-ha!" A familiar robotic voice exclaimed. Ahsoka flinched and wheeled around, activating both her lightsabers. Standing in the corridor were the modified battle droids that they had encountered in the plains. The last time they were free. "It's you two again." The female droid scoffed and drew her electric whip.

"Great. It's the sassy clankers again." Ahsoka positioned her sabers in front of her and Motormouth to protect them. He was wearing his helmet again and impossible to read his facial expressions. She could feel his anger through the force though. And that was all she needed. The red marked droid joined the other.

"You've given our Director much trouble. It won't be long before she turns you into half-metal abominations like that gimping clone she discarded."

"And it won't be long before we turn you into scrap metal." Ahsoka countered. The female droid gave a strange metallic yell and lashed her whip in Ahsoka's direction. It caught on the handle of her saber. Suddenly, Motormouth grabbed Anakin's saber from her belt, activated it and sliced the whip. The broken coil fell to the floor with a defeated sizzle. Both droids began to fire their blasters instead, letting the hall echo deafeningly with the gunfire.

"How do you know how to use a lightsaber?" Ahsoka asked, deflecting shots skillfully.

"I watched Windu on missions. Simple use isn't that hard."

"We should retreat to the others. I'll cover you from behind."

"Agreed." The two took off at break neck speed, Ahsoka peering over her shoulder as they ran. The droids took off after them, still firing shots.

…

Fives's energy was back with a vengeance as he jogged many paces ahead of Rex. It was difficult for Rex to move very fast. He needed the heavy golden belt to hold up the split skirt. Of course he had already ditched the armband and necklace. Those only weighed him down.

"You said most of the others were in a freezer?" Fives looked on hopefully at Rex.

"Last I saw of them. I have no idea if they've been moved or escaped while the power was down. I have my doubts that that was an accident. If anything, it was probably Skywalker or Ahsoka."

"Then that's good!" Fives exclaimed excitedly. "It means somebody on team good has escaped."

"The only difficult part is navigating this labyrinth. Unfortunately, all I'm familiar with it the path from Mogens's lair to the freezer."

"It's a start."

"Whatever happened to you? When we were free on the outside? How did you get here?" Rex asked. He felt almost naked and his thighs were obscenely exposed to the world.

"Echo and I were in the forest. We heard whistling noises, then we got hit in the neck with darts. Never saw it coming. You?"

"Cody and I met our match with a Trandoshan bounty hunter."

"Great. One of my favorite species to fight." Fives slowed down then peered around a corridor. As soon as he did, he whipped away and crashed into Rex.

"D-damn what is it!?" Rex whispered hoarsely.

"Weird hazmat suit people." Fives replied anxiously. "There's about ten of them."

"We can get away-"

"They were ten feet from us!"

"We'll sneak!" Rex gripped his arm tightly.

"They weren't armed! We can take them!"

"Fives I don't want to end up back in that lair!" Rex snarled and wrestled Fives away from the corner.

"Let go! I need to find Echo!"

"Fives that's an order!" A figure clad in beige rounded the corner as they fought in the hallway. Soon came six others.

"Stop there." One of them, it was impossible to tell which since all their faces were hidden. The voice was dead and emotionless, adding to the eerie encounter. "Drop any weapons and follow us."

"Never!" Fives hissed and lunged at them. Rex held him back.

"Very well." One of the doctors stepped forward and brandished a slim gun with a needle tip.

"Look what you did Rex." Fives grumbled.

"What I did?" Rex said faintly. He was paying more attention to the deadly gun pointed at the pair of them. Suddenly, a roar like a feral hound echoed in the steel corridor. The beige clad figures exchanged looks nobody could actually see. Fives was tense in Rex's arms.

"What…the hell…was that?" He whispered. Rex turned his head to look behind them. Barely, his ears picked up something pounding hard and fast against the floor, coming toward them. The sound grew louder fast and suddenly a great, dark shape barreled around the corner, sword like teeth flashing and eyes crimson. It began to sprint forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Get down!" Rex snapped just loud enough for Fives to hear and he threw his weight against the clone to knock him to the floor. As they fell, the hell hound leapt over them, clearly uninterested in the clones, and seized one of the doctors in its beastly grip. The doctors attacked, shooting it with the needle gun. The doctor being cut in half did not scream. The lack of a vocal reaction sent chills up the clones' spines. The only sounds were that of the snarling hound, the dagger nails digging into the metal floor and the sound of the guns going off. As Rex rose off the ground he recognized instantly that this 'savior' was Nefara. Without a second glance, Fives took off running down a different corridor. Rex pursued him, not wishing to be the dessert of the hound's main course.


	24. Reliance

_Eonin, Zeres_

_ Location Unknown_

"I just don't trust him." Cody confided in Obi-Wan once they were well away from the group. The Jedi gave a subtle nod in agreement. They were approaching the room Cole claimed was the communication room, or one of them.

"We trust him for now."

"What if the Jedi Council or Republic doesn't get our signal? What if this hellhole blocks communications? What if-"

"Cody," Obi-Wan broke off his paranoid rambling, "I've known you to be a little pessimistic, however I believe this is the most you've ever been."

"Sorry, commander…I'm really nervous. I can't help but think after the first signal sent out, this fortress would learn from its mistake and find a way to prevent escaped prisoners from repeating that incident."

"You heard Cole. Those who escape are rare, and those who do never make it far. Though, I fear the lack of action has me worried too."

"Ahsoka said it's because of the chips. They know and track our movements. So it doesn't matter what we do, they know our every movement. Or it's to make us so paranoid, we go crazy in here and completely forget our goal of escaping and fall back into their clutches."

Obi-Wan reached out and placed a gentle, yet firm hand on Cody's tense shoulder. Cody flinched from the touch, not expecting it, but reached out to brush the Jedi's fingers.

"Master Yoda knows we've come here. As soon as we tell him there's a problem, the Jedi Council will bring down the Republic hammer on this operation. And with hope, we can capture Dooku and halt the progress of the Separatists."

"I trust you master Kenobi. It's the rest of our squad I worry for. I haven't seen Rex since I was paralyzed in the freezer with him. The rest of it I've been unhelpfully unconscious."

Obi-Wan nodded again, then guided Cody into an open room that housed only a few barren shelves and a large communication table. Cody kneeled before it and tried to start it up. There was nothing. Not even the humming sound to indicate it had booted.  
"It's broken." Cody mumbled.

"Or just missing a component." Obi-Wan bent far down and examined the table. By the wall, he noticed the power socket had been temporarily disabled. "That's odd." He muttered to himself.

"Who turned its power off?"

"I have no idea…" In the back of his mind, he wondered…

Cody flicked the switch and it sprang into life with a flurry of blue pixels and a rhythmic hum. Tapping the coordinates for the Council, Obi-Wan pleaded in the back of his mind that they would reach Yoda at best. It was Aayla Secura they reached instead. She took a step back, surprise painting her azure face as they suddenly materialized without warning in one of the Jedi temple rooms. She'd been studying a map of Felucia.

"Master Kenobi, I did not realize you were on a mission." She admitted. "I thought you returned from Ryloth a few days ago."

"We did general Secura. But please, is master Yoda nearby? I have an urgent need to speak with him."

Both tensed when they heard a sound in the corridor. Cody went to shut the lights off and peeked around the corner.

"I saw him earlier pacing the corridors. He's not far. I can get him for you." She offered.

"Please do!" Obi-Wan pressed, growing anxious. Cody closed the door and stood by it, ear to the wall. The blue pixels disintegrated and the communication table went dark as Aayla left.

"What's outside?" Obi-Wan demanded, now whispering. Cody gave a vague gesture of his hand.

"I think it's a doctor. I saw a flash of beige."

"Cole said doctors wear beige. Due to their apathy I don't think they'll outright attack. Nevertheless, we cannot let them see us."

"I hope master Yoda is quick to get to us." The tension in Cody's voice was increasing.

"Me too." Obi-Wan took to the other side of the door to watch down the opposite hall. "We cannot leave this room. We are so close to getting the aid we desperately need." Abruptly, he ended his sentence there. "Don't talk anymore." He warned Cody. "I just realized…cameras and microphones could be on." He pressed a frustrated hand to his face and leaned against the wall.

"It'll be okay." Cody whispered in the dark. He whispered not just to Kenobi, but to himself. "It'll be okay…"

"Just don't speak." The footsteps outside grew louder; each click of their heel brought the enemy closer to their location. Cody wiped away a drop of sweat from his forehead and pressed his face into the crack of the door. He couldn't see the direction the doctor was approaching, but he'd be able to see when it passed out of sight. Obi-Wan felt the force thrumming through him as he grew more on edge. There was a shadow that passed by the crack of the door, shrouding them in a momentary darkness. At the same time, Aayla and Yoda materialized on the holo table with a whoosh of pixels.

"Master Kenobi, trouble you are having?" His voice, though soft, was still loud enough to drift outside the room and down the corridor. Cody froze when he saw the doctor pause, and turn to face the door. Cody shut it and leapt back.

"We got company!"

"Blast!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. He turned to Yoda, before the connection was lost. "We've encountered a larger problem than we can handle. Please send reinforcements. Many of them! Clones, Jedi, anybody you can, please send them to the coordinates you know we are! Yoda, please!" There was a flash of concern on both Aayla and Yoda's faces, but only for a second before the connection went black and the room utterly silent. There was a knock at the door. It was entirely eerie and completely out of place, spooking the two even more.

"Come on out." An emotionless yet cold and sinister voice requested. "There is nowhere for you to run, nor hide, so please, submit to the will of the Warden."

…

"How do you get the chips out?" Anakin asked after almost ten minutes of a tense silence. The moment Cole and he were on their own, they lapsed into it instinctively. Obviously Cole hadn't forgiven him for the force choke. First impressions were impossible to get back.

"Doctors will need to remove them. Or you can pull them out of your skin…if you're brave enough. The chips are connected to the spine, so unless you want to be a vegetable, I'd let somebody with surgical precision handle it." Cole explained derisively.

"Great." Anakin gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. Anger simmered in him below the surface, calm for now, but not for long. He'd been a captive of that current for far too long.

"As a measure for not getting trapped in the rooms here, when power is lost, everything opens. I am certain your friends have made their way around by now. Since the lights have returned, let's hope they didn't get trapped in a morgue. Nobody visits those."

"And just how do you know all this?" Anakin's fingers twitched.

"Like I've said. I've been fortunate to keep my life…if you can call it that." He went quiet for a second. "Does the Republic know you're here? Or the Jedi Council?" There was a softness in his tone that quelled Skywalker's anger.

"Yoda knows. If Obi-Wan can get him for just a second to say help, then they'll come with an army."

"Good. You'll need the strength of the Republic to bring this place to its knees."

"How long has Dooku been involved in this?"

"I have no idea. I've been here for only three months. From what Bolt and the others have told me, clones aren't long time guests."

Anakin froze when he heard charging footsteps. He threw out an arm to stop Cole.

"Do you hear that!?" Excitement and anxiety built in his veins.

"I do." Cole confirmed. In the next moment, they were back to back to look down either corridor.

"It's coming from my side." Anakin said. Cole turned to face that way.

"Then you got this Jedi." He said in rather encouraging tone.

Anakin stood at the ready, a stance for battle and an arm outstretched before him. Cole stood partially behind him, using the Jedi as a shield. With that droid leg, he was virtually useless, unless it came to a fist fight.

A green light and a flash of vibrant colors came barging around the corner. Anakin dropped his hand instantly, recognizing the group.

"Run!" Ahsoka shouted, brandishing the saber behind her. Fives, Motormouth and Rex sprinted ahead and merged with Cole as the group of clones fell back. Motormouth thrust the blue saber into Anakin's hand.

"This is yours!" He exclaimed and stood as a barrier between his brothers and the threat. He drew his twin blasters and handed Fives and Rex each one. Cody took the rifle that was strapped around Motormouth's torso.

"Ahsoka! What's going on?" Anakin said, whirling around to face her.

"We got elite droids coming. I need your help to take them down or we'll never lose them!" Fury blazed in her eyes, rousing the fire in Anakin also. With a screeching slide of metal on metal, a black painted battle droid with white markings appeared down the hallway with a long rifle. Walking much calmer into the picture was a similar droid with crimson markings.

"Clankers." Anakin smirked. "You're running from clankers?"

"Who are you calling clankers?" The female droid shouted. "The both of us are equivalent to a Jedi."

"I doubt that…" Anakin stepped forward, the blue glow making his eyes ethereal.

"Looks like you're about to find out." The red droid raised a flechette rifle and fired into the group. Though short range, the many laser bullets were hard to deflect and one made it Cole's leg, clipping a sliver of metal off the side. The smile left Anakin's face.

"Should have aimed better, cause that's the only shot you're getting." He lurched forward and swung his saber out. The red droid ducked and flew the opposite way to avoid the blade, but rolled too close to Ahsoka. With a quick slash, she severed a metal arm from the droid.

"Bitch!" It gave a metallic shriek and shot upwards to head-butt her. Ahsoka stumbled back and regained composure, unfazed.

"You'll regret that." She responded to the attack in a dark voice and she shot forward.

...

Obi-Wan hid behind a narrow shelf beside the door. Cody took the space between the wall and holo table. The door eventually slid open and the doctor took a hesitant step forward.

"Come on out. There is nothing to fear, if you submit quietly." Under all the apathy and lack of emotion, Obi-Wan detected a hint of sadism. These doctors couldn't be human…or any other species for that matter. Perhaps they were droids as well wearing suits. That was a disturbing image to him. The doctor proceeded into the room without care. It was evident that these beings were devoid of any feeling at all. Maybe they did not even feel pain? As the doctor neared too close to the holo table and Cody's hiding place, Obi-Wan reached out with the force and lifted the doctor into the air. It raised its arms, but showed no signs of panic.

"Who are you? What are you?" Obi-Wan demanded, stepping out of the shadows.

"I am but a doctor. However, there is no need for this foolishness. Come, we must continue the operation." Cody shivered hearing the monotone matter of fact voice it used for every word that slipped past its lips.

"What operation?" Obi-Wan twisted the doctor around to face them as Cody retreated from behind the holotable. The second he did, the doctor pointed, startling Cody.

"This one. He was scheduled for surgery but was broken out before he could undergo the changes."

"What do you mean by changes?"

"There is no need for this foolishness. Come, we must continue the operation."

"How do you remove the chips?" Obi-Wan began to grow irritated, knowing that if the doctor started to repeat itself, the cycle would never end.

"The chips can only be removed by Regis's doctors."

"Why is that? What do the chips do?" Cody interjected absently rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

"If you leave Zeres…you will see." The doctor whispered and for the first time, there was sadistic glee in it.


End file.
